Wenger cool over Lauren
21 Oct 2006 - 10:14:04
Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Arsenal defender Lauren is unlikely to return from a long-term knee injury before the end of the year.
The 29-year-old former Cameroon international has been sidelined since January and is still some way off a return to full training, as he recovers slowly from surgery.
Wenger told the club's official website: "I don't think you will see Lauren in the team before January.
"He played up to the limit of his pain and then maybe he played a little too long. That created some damage in his knee which had to be repaired.
"But he is a tough, tough boy. He works hard and he will come back.
"He is making good progress, but he still has four or five weeks before he comes back to normal training and then it will take a month's full training to come back into the team."
Lauren joined the Gunners in the summer of 2000 from Real Mallorca and has gone on to make nearly 250 appearances for the Gunners, mainly at right-back.