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Alexis Sanchez is no more important to Arsenal than any other player, says Arsene Wenger
Arsene Wenger has said that Alexis Sanchez is no more important than any other player at Arsenal, after making him play against Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
Wenger refuted suggestions that there was any ulterior motive in his decision to leave Sanchez on the bench against Chelsea on Sunday and then give him a full 90 minutes against League One opposition in midweek, explaining that Sanchez was still working his way to full fitness.
“Look, there is no disguised attitude on my side,” Wenger said.
“For me, the Europa League and League Cup are important as well. I gave him a long holiday, and after that he came back not really fit.
"It took us time to get him back, and then he got injured. You could see that he’s coming back sharp now.
“All the players are [important], he is not more than any other. I used a team at Chelsea who could be strong on the counter-attack and fight very hard, and Sanchez could have played if he was 100 per cent fit.
"There is no hierarchy. I have six or seven strikers, so if I go in one game with three strikers, the three who have not played will play in midweek, no matter what competition it is.”
Is Sanchez still 100 per cent happy and focused at Arsenal? “That’s the impression I have, yes.”
Elsewhere, Danny Welbeck is out of England’s World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Lithuania in early October. “He has a groin injury,” Wenger said. “His target is Watford, after the international break. He won’t be available for England, and not for us.”
Also out until after the international break is Calum Chambers, who aggravated an old hip problem during the Doncaster game and failed to appear for the second half.
But Theo Walcott should be fit for the game against West Brom on Monday night despite getting a kick on the back of the knee. He will be monitored during Thursday and Wenger said: “We don’t think it’s much.” Mesut Ozil is due to return to full first-team training on Thursday or Friday after his knee injury and should also be fit for Monday.
Monday’s match will be the first time Kieran Gibbs comes up against the club he joined at the age of 14. Gibbs left for West Brom in the summer in search of first-team football, and Wenger said: “It will be strange to see him in a different shirt, because he is a player who was educated here from a very young age.
"He became an English international here, he made a good career here, and Arsenal is very proud about that.”