Arsenal striker Niklas Bendtner out of the start of Premier League season due to a groin injury
Arsenal striker, Niklas Bendtner, could well be out of the start of the Premier League season due to a persistent groin injury. The front man picked up the injury while playing for Denmark in Group E of the World Cup. He returned to Arsenal to have the injury examined at the start of pre-season training but it seems that it may take him longer to recover than many at the club would want.
The problem is that a groin tear is one of the most delicate injuries that a player can have. If Arsenal risk him for the start of the season then it means that the injury could get a lot worse and eventually keep him out of the game for much longer. The news will come as a blow to many fans and people at the club who would have been hoping to make up for a disappointing league campaign last season. Bendtner is going to have a big role to play and it was important that the Dane was firing on all cylinders.
Damage
Arsenal can cope but the point is that this is hardly ideal ahead of the new season. The club are short up front and therefore rely on a few players to have a larger impact. Bendtner being injured exposes the lack of depth that Arsenal have in the striker position. It gives them a troubling dilemma over whether to let Bendtner rest or try and speed up his treatment so he can play at the start of the season. However, this could risk making his injury either worse or repeat and this means that he will eventually be out for much longer than if they just let him rest.
Arsene Wenger is not a naive manager and he will know exactly how to deal with this situation. There is still time for Arsenal to bring in one or two players if they feel they need to, although Bendtner is bound to be working towards making sure he is fit at the start of the year.
Cover
If Bendtner does not make it then there are a number of players who can step up and cover in attack. Andrei Arshavin is one such player and although the Russian would prefer to play in the midfield, it shows that the Arsenal squad can survive. It will be interesting to see if this is the way that Wenger chooses to go but he does have a very good habit of being able to turn midfield players into prolific goal scorers and Arshavin has already shown in his Arsenal career that he knows where the goal is.
There are also other players who can play up front for Arsenal or they may even change their system slightly to cope with Bendtner not being able to play. Whichever way the club goes they will be challenging for a top spot at the end of next season as well as a cup or two.
Advice
This is going to be a big season for Bendtner whether he starts it or not and there will be a great deal of pressure on him to do well. He will want to get off to a flying start and this means making sure he does not risk making his current injury worse.
There is still a good amount of time between now and the start of the Premier League season so keep this in mind and wait to see what Arsenal get up to in the rest of the transfer market. Bendtner can step up to the plate if necessary.
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