It’s more pain for Wenger

has seemed reluctant to try in a central striking position, to lead his front line for now.

Arsenal said in a statement: “It had been hoped Danny would avoid surgery but after increasing his training workload, the injury to his cartilage did not respond as well as hoped.” It only adds to the pressure on Wenger after his failure to sign a single outfi eld the summer.

Welbeck, 24, signed from Manchester United for £ 16 million on last season’s deadline day, has scored four goals in 25 league games for the club, but has struggled with injuries. His last game was against Chelsea on April 26.

Ironically, the news broke on the day team- mate Alex Oxlade- Chamberlain said that until this season, he had not played a game fully fi t since he was a teenager.

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over Oxlade- Chamberlain, who is likely to start for England in San Marino tomorrow, damaged cruciate ligaments in the opening- day defeat by Aston Villa two years ago – just after his 20th birthday – and has been dogged by problems until now.

He has played 68 times for club and country during those 24 months.

“The injuries were a knock- on effect from that cruciate injury,” he said. “It ended up in my groin and I struggled for a large part of last season. There were times when I was in so much pain, I couldn’t understand how I struggled with the simplest of tasks but was still able to play.

“Then towards the end of the season it went away as if nothing had happened.”

At least Wenger was cheered yesterday by the news Jack Wilshere could be back in contention for the game with Stoke a week tomorrow after stepping up his recovery from a hairline fracture of the left fi bula.