Vermaelen is now 'out for the season', Denilson doubtful

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Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
14 Apr	7:45 PM	P	Tottenham Hotspur (A)	1	2	Lost

The prognosis on defender Thomas Vermaelen is that he has suffered a calf strain, and will be out of action for the next two to three weeks.

That effectively means he is out of the season, and with William Gallas also unavailable, the defensive pairing looks to be Sol Campbell and Mikael Silvestre till May.

It didn't look good when Vermaelen purposely kicked the ball out to stop play, before going to ground clutching his leg.

Manager Arsène Wenger admitted earlier in the week that the Belgian had been playing through the pain barrier due to the club's injury crisis, but it seems that it was a decision that has come back to bite us in the proverbial behind.

There is also a concern over midfielder Denilson, who will be assessed before being included in the team to face Wigan Athletic this weekend.

Wenger said: "Certainly it is a calf strain. I have no more news about Vermaelen but it looks like three weeks, and that means the season is over for him.

"We have to assess Denilson a little bit, he has a tight groin."

But the manager was pleased with the comeback made by striker Robin van Persie, who was out for about six months due to an ankle injury suffered in an international friendly with The Netherlands.

The Dutchman certainly looked like he had never been away, fashioning our best chances in a match that we dominated possession wise but couldn't trouble Spurs' defence.

Wenger added: "We have to check him today and see how he responds to that.

"It was a massive gamble as he had not played. But we'll see how he is and hopefully he'll get a few games now."

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