LONDON: Arsene Wenger will consider taking a gamble on Theo Walcott for Sunday's match against Liverpool after the England winger returned to training yesterday (Thursday).
Walcott has been suffering with a groin injury since his comeback from knee surgery and has not played since Nov 9 but Wenger will closely monitor his training today and tomorrow before making a final decision.
The situation is likely to be influenced by whether Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's groin injury continues to improve enough to enable him, as expected, to make the trip to Anfield.
Wenger yesterday said that there was a "very slight chance" for Walcott but then added: "I might take him, I don't know yet." Walcott is still yet to train fully with the first-team.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has also not trained fully since suffering a groin injury in the 4-1 win against Newcastle but there is optimism that he will return on Sunday. Goalkeeper David Ospina has also resumed training.
Should Oxlade-Chamberlain be fit, Wenger will almost certainly start him in a central-midfield three alongside Mathieu Flamini and Santi Cazorla. Further forward, Wenger will again want to field the front three of Danny Welbeck, Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez that caused such problems last week to Newcastle.
Wenger yesterday also reflected for the first time on a favourable Champions League draw that will see him return to Monaco for the first time since leaving the club in 1994 after seven years as their manager.
"I've spent 25 years of my life at Monaco and Arsenal together, so it's a little bit like my life meets my life," Wenger said. "I go back to basically where I started. I've never been back, because I was always very busy. It's an opportunity for us to get through to the quarter-final."
Arsenal are also close to agreeing a deal for Polish 16-year-old midfield prodigy Krystian Bielik following a recent trial although he may not formally join the club until next summer.