KOSC WALKING ON AIR

LAURENT KOSCIELNY admits there were some dark and difficult moments during his seven-month injury lay-off.

The ruptured Achilles the Arsenal captain suffered back in May cost him the chance to go to the World Cup.

But Unai Emery’s arrival as Arsene Wenger’s replacement helped to put a positive spin on things for the defender. After he returned to first-team action in the Europa League clash with Qarabag on Thursday, Koscielny said: “It’s fresh air for the club. He tries to give all the ingredients for the players to learn about his tactics and how to play. It’s very interesting.

“We can see the results — we have now 22 games unbeaten.

“We bought some very good players and they have improved since the start of the season. Lucas Torreira started on the bench, but now you can see his confidence. Bernd Leno, too, has integrated well with the team. It’s very important.”

Koscielny could even start in defence at Southampton today.

He added: “Thursday was a special day for me. I had some flashes in my head of the seven months of rehab I did.

“But that’s at an end – it’s a new chapter in my career.”