AUBA HAS MALARIA BUT RECOVERING WELL

MIKEL ARTETA said Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang is determined to be back as soon as possible after the Arsenal captain revealed he had to be hospitalised after contracting killer disease malaria. Captain Aubameyang was forced to sit out Arsenal’s brilliant 4-0 win at Slavia Prague as he continued his recovery. Aubameyang took to Instagram ahead of kick-off to confirm the reason for his absence, having also missed Sunday’s win at Sheffield United. He contracted the condition while on international duty with Gabon.

Remarkably, despite beginning to feel the effects of the illness, the biggest killer disease in human history, Aubameyang (right) was able to play against Liverpool and come on as sub against Slavia last week. Though it was only after further tests that it was revealed he was feeling under the weather because he had been infected by malaria. Arteta said: ‘We just spoke with him, he is at home. He is completely fine at the moment. He had two days in hospital to get the right treatment but he is feeling good now. ‘We will see how he recovers. He will need a few days to recover from that but he wants to be back as soon as possible. That’s what he said to me. ‘When he wasn’t involved against Sheffield the two days before that he wasn’t feeling good but nobody could have expected that was the case. ‘Hopefully not (a while before he makes a full recovery) because he feels really good, that’s what he said to me and he really wants to be back.’ Arsenal produced a powerful statement before kick-off in the win against Slavia, whose defender Ondrej Kudela was banned by UEFA for 10 games for racially abusing Rangers’ Glen Kamara. Lacazette led Arsenal in taking the knee while the home team remained standing. Arteta said: ‘The players asked me and the club and they wanted to take that initiative and they had the right reasons for it so the club was very supportive. I was supportive and thankful to the referee and UEFA as well.’