Arsenal: Gently, gently the way to go with Laurent Koscielny

Laurent Koscielny started his return to training this week. Unai Emery must handle the Arsenal defender gently as he reintegrates him into the first team.

Sometimes, age just catches up with you. Ask any ageing man about the soreness in his body the morning after exercising and they will happily tell you of the seizing up that begins to riddle the knees, the shoulders, the legs, feet and arms, muscles that you didn’t even know existed.

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Even in the modern age with great medical advancements and deepened knowledge of the human body, an age in which ACL injuries are no longer career-ending, an age in which 30 is not the death knell of a player’s prime, an age in which the two best players in the world are 31 and 33, great care and caution must still be taken with older players.

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This is especially true for players that have struggled with injuries throughout their careers. Re-injury is extremely likely for those that have suffered major problems in the past. Those joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons are never quite as strong and sturdy as they were prior. For Arsenal and Laurent Koscielny, then, handling his impending return gently is an absolute necessity.

Koscielny, who has dealt with Achilles problems throughout his career, often taking painkillers such that he can play through various niggles, ruptured his Achilles in Arsenal’s semi-final loss to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League on May 3rd. He missed the remainder of the season, sat on the sofa as France won the World Cup in the summer, and began a long rehabilitation process.

Now 33, this is no easy injury to return from. But Koscielny partook in training this week, although on a limited basis, and could be in line to feature for the first team before the end of the calendar year, which is ahead of the nine-month schedule that was first predicted when he suffered the injury.

With Sokratis suffering from niggling knee and ankle problems, Shkodran Mustafi not being the most reliable option, and only young alternatives available, I am sure that Unai Emery will be keen to welcome Koscielny back into the fold. But he must be careful with how he uses the club captain. Rushing him back is the worst team that Emery could do.

If Koscielny was to suffer another injury to his Achilles, it would essentially end his Arsenal career — and potentially his playing career altogether. Realistically, Koscielny’s prospects under Emery should centre around being fit and sharp when it matters the most, at the end of the season. Emery should be looking to preserve Koscielny for the latter-stage Europa League matches, the potential cup finals, the crucial matches in the Premier League in the race for the top four.

Preserving Koscielny and ensuring that he is fit, before rushing him into the team, is critical. Emery must manage him carefully and cautiously. Gently, gently is the way.