Djourou hobbled off during Arsenal's 4-4 draw at Newcastle last weekend, sparking fears he could have suffered a recurrence of the serious knee injury that restricted him to just one appearance last season. However, Switzerland physio Cuno Wetzel said: "Johan Djourou's knee injury is clearly not as bad as first feared. "The player suffered very painful bruising on the knee but, if the healing process runs as it should, Djourou could probably begin training in less than one week." The news comes as a relief to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as his only two other fit centre-halves are Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci. Belgium central defender Thomas Vermaelen has been out of action with an Achilles injury since September and is not expected to be back until the end of the month at the earliest.
