French boss reckons injury plagued midfielder could come in and do a job for the Gunners…
Arsene Wenger will turn Abou Diaby from an offensively minded central midfielder into a deep-lying anchorman to solve the club’s defensive midfield problems, reports the Daily Mail.
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Injuries have plagued the Frenchman’s Arsenal career, but he made his first start for almost two years against Southampton in the League Cup on Tuesday evening, and his manager is keen to take advantage of his return to fitness.
The Gunners badly lack a physical presence at the base of the midfield, with Mikel Arteta relatively immobile and Mathieu Flamini quite short and technically poor.
As a result, Wenger wants to adapt Diaby’s position, as he believes the 28-year-old has the necessary characteristics to do it.
“I tried to develop [Diaby] in a deeper role, I think he can do it. He can be very interesting because he has all the attributes to do it. After, he must love it as well because he’s more of an offensive-minded player,” said Wenger.
“I try to transform it, yes because I feel because he was injured for a long time and he has the physical potential to win the challenges, to face the game will be easier for him than to play with his back to goal with the injuries he had.”
If Diaby can finally stay fit, and maximise his undoubted potential, the move could be a masterstroke from Wenger, although few would bet against the unfortunate midfielder picking up another injury problem in the near future…