Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has heaped praise on Laurent Koscielny following the defender’s return to the first-team squad.
The Frenchman has been on the road to recovery since the back-end of last season. He sustained a long-term Achilles injury in the Gunners’ Europa League semi-final clash against Atletico Madrid.
Koscielny has not played a single minute under new manager Unai Emery this season but is back in full first-team training and has been building his fitness up in the club’s Under-23 team.
Gunners shot-stopper Leno has been discussing the influence of the former France international and hailed him as the ‘perfect captain’. As quoted by Goal, the German said:
We have many young players, he talks to them and, for me, he is a big personality in the team, in the dressing room.
Before [playing] Tottenham, he was not in the squad but five minutes before the game he said many, many good things about the history of the game, how important it is for the fans, the club, every player, so he is the perfect captain for us.
Koscielny’s return to fitness will come as a timely boost for Arsenal boss Emery, who is facing something of a defensive crisis ahead of his side’s trip to Southampton in the Premier League.
Regular starting duo Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi have been ruled out with suspensions, while Rob Holding has sustained a long-term knee injury.
This could allow the Gunners captain to make his first start of the season on Sunday, should he be overlooked for the team’s Europa League group stage clash against Qarabag on Thursday evening.
