Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that Patrick Vieira will be back in action next weekend against West Ham despite fears that the French midfielder is suffering from a serious groin problem. Vieira returned to France this week to see specialist Philippe Boixel, who has previously treated Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard and Christian Vieri.
His diagnosis on Viera's groin problem was reported to have been that he could need a month-long break from the game. However, while Wenger has ruled Vieira out of Sunday's game at Birmingham City, he insists there is no such long-term problem.
"Patrick will be in contention for next week. He has a groin problem which he had been playing with but I decided to cure it after the Chelsea game," he declared. "He has a cold, so he doesn't feel too well, but we have no worry about his muscular future. If he needed an operation I would tell you.
"It's just an inflamed groin that is much better now and he is close to returning. He wanted to play on Sunday and if I had to, I could play him. But we want to cure him completely so that he does not provoke a strain."
Meanwhile, Wenger revealed Freddie Ljungberg will be out for at least another fortnight with an inflamed Achilles. "Freddie is out for at least two weeks. When he came back from his sickness, he inflamed his Achilles. We had a scan and there's nothing really there, but there is pain and he cannot really practice," he said.
Filed by Johnny Proby
