Laurent Koscielny is close to handing Arsenal a defensive boost after missing the first three months of the 2018-19 campaign. The former France international has been sidelined with an Achilles rupture that required surgery since May, the central defender missing his country’s World Cup triumph at Russia 2018 as a result. Unai Emery has slowly reintegrated the 33-year-old, who last featured for the Gunners in a Europa League clash with Atletico Madrid on May 3, into training and the Spaniard says Koscielny is almost ready to be considered for selection.
“He feels better in each training [session],” Emery told a media conference ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash with Sporting CP. “He is closer to being with us for competitive games