Manuel Pellegrini has declared that neither Marko Arnautovic or Jack Wilshere will be available for the game against Palace at the weekend.
And the boss added that Marko’s probem is a muscle injury rather than the feared hamstring although he will be unavailable for around a month anyway
Speaking at his pre-match presser he said: “We have a lot of players injured. Arnautovic has a muscle injury. He will probably be out for around one month.
We know how important he is for this team. We know we have to play seven games in December and six games more in January.
“Wilshere is not 100 per cent comfortable so he won’t be available, but I think it will just be for this game. We have a squad and now is the time for other players to take their chance. Lucas Perez scored two goals on Tuesday.”
ClaretandHugh says: Arnie we knew about, Wilshere we feared wouldn’t make it despite the boss revealing before the game against Cardiff City that he had only a “small injury.” Sadly, small injuries have a habit of being longer than most other players’ in Jack’s case and that the decision appears to be based on him “not being 100 per cent comfortable” is a concern. Missing this game means he will have been absent since September 1 apart from the briefest of appearances against Cardiff on Tuesday when initially a six weeks lay off had been forecast. The other selection issue the manager has to decide is whether he will go with Lucas Perez, Chicharuto or both given their style of play could be considered similar and if he should give Andy Carroll a decent outing despite him showing himself not truly up to speed against the Welsh outfit when arriving as a sub.
“Marko’s probem is a muscle injury rather than the feared hamstring” was an odd comment.
The three muscles that run down the back of your leg, from your thigh to your knee, the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus are collectively known as the hamstring.
There’s different grades of hamstring injury. Grade 1 a strain, grade 2 a year etc. I suppose they are saying his injury is more a strain than a tear. So less of a problem in terms of recovery.
Or, it could be because apart from the 3 muscles “hamstrings” can also be the name for the tendons at the back of the thighs that attach the large thigh muscle to the bone.
Grade 2 a tear (not a year)