Manuel Almunia's slow recovery spares Arsène Wenger declaring his No1

Posted Friday, December 03, 2010 by theguardian.com

Manuel Almunia's slow recovery spares Arsène Wenger declaring his No1
Manuel Almunia's prolonged injury absence means Lukasz Fabianski is set to continue as Arsenal's No1.

Arsène Wenger has been spared making a decision over his No1 goalkeeper as Manuel Almunia has still not recovered from his elbow injury and will not be under consideration for the home fixture against Fulham on Saturday.

Wenger has started with Lukasz Fabianski in Almunia's absence yet the Arsenal manager has shied away from declaring that either player is his first choice, a policy that has attracted criticism.

Wenger will have to nail his colours to the mast once Almunia is fit but the Spaniard remains unable to fully extend his elbow, despite playing in a reserve-team match nine days ago. He played for 45 minutes in the 2-1 win over Wolves but did not look entirely comfortable.

Almunia's last appearance for the first team came in the shock 3-2 home defeat by West Bromwich Albion on 25 September, the match in which he took the bang to his elbow and played poorly.

If, as expected, Fabianski retains his place when Almunia is fit, the latter may consider his future at Arsenal. Wenger could play Almunia in the Carling Cup semi-final ties against Ipswich Town and the FA Cup third round against Leeds United but that may not be enough to satisfy the 33-year-old.

In a twist to the club's goalkeeping situation, Mark Schwarzer, who was a transfer target for Wenger during the summer, has agreed a new contract at Fulham.

"He was obviously very flattered by the interest," said Mark Hughes, the Fulham manager. "We're delighted that he's decided to stay here and we can move forward now."

Wenger has a slight doubt over Samir Nasri for the game on Saturday; the midfielder took a knock to a knee in the Carling Cup win over Wigan Athletic on Tuesday but is expected to be passed fit. Wenger remains without Cesc Fábregas, Thomas Vermaelen, Abou Diaby and Sébastien Squillaci.