Danny Welbeck is set to hand Arsenal a boost by returning four months ahead of schedule from a knee injury.
The England striker was expected to face nearly a year out with a problem suffered in the penultimate game of last season against Manchester City.
But Arsene Wenger has revealed that Welbeck is healing well and a recent scan confirmed he will be in line to return to action before the turn of the year.
"The news was excellent and he will be back around Christmas," the Frenchman told reporters.
"He had a second check — not a procedure, a check with a camera inside. That was the good news of last week, the only good news. That was very positive.
"He has an inflammation of his knee and they had to go in again to see if it is healing well or not. If the healing was not good, he would have been out until April."
> ..... - Goal