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Mikel Arteta hints David Luiz could make Arsenal return on Thursday
Mikel Arteta has suggested that David Luiz is not yet out of contention to feature for Arsenal on Thursday, with the boss claiming – – that he has produced an ‘incredible effort’ recently.
The Gunners were dealt a big blow at the weekend as Luiz had to come off just 53 minutes into his comeback.
Arteta claimed after the 2-0 win over Newcastle that it was not good news. But he was unable to put a timeframe on when the centre-back could return (via ).
However, it appears that there may be hope that the problem is not as serious as maybe first feared as Arteta was asked whether there is a chance that he could play against Villarreal this week.
“With David it’s always possible because he wants to be available,” he said, . “He’s made an incredible effort to be in the position that he’s in today and the fact that he played against Newcastle was already a big bonus. He had surgery on his knee so with David, you never know.
It would be a big boost for Arsenal to have Luiz back for the second-leg of their Europa League semi-final.
He has not always managed to silence his critics while at the Emirates. But what he does often seem to do is produce a big performance on the bigger stages.
The Europa League is now huge for Arsenal. And having got an away goal in Spain last week, it seems imperative that the Gunners keep a clean sheet this time around.
If Luiz is ready to feature, that could potentially make a huge difference.