With Danny Welbeck being taken off at half-time in his first game in more than a month due to injury, many feared he had picked up another one.
However, Arsene Wenger has spoken and said that it was always his plan to take off the former Manchester United player at the break.
Welbeck started in Cologne in the 1-0 Europa League loss and came off with the score 0-0 for Alex Iwobi at half-time.
Prior to this, he hadn’t played since he played an hour at Vicarage Road in the 2-1 loss to Marco Silva’s Watford.
He started the first five matches of the season, with his personal highlight being the two goals in the 3-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Emirates.
However, since the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge, he has only featured partially in the Watford and Koln matches.
Wenger has spoken about his decision to take Welbeck off, via the club’s official website:
He has only just come back from injury, and we have three more games on Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday again. Medically, the risk was a bit too high to play him for longer because he has been out for a while. He has no problem.
Wenger and Arsenal go up to Lancashire and Turf Moor to face Burnley on Sunday, who the Gunners sit one place above only on goal difference.
