Noni Madueke was probably one of Arsenal’s best players in the early part of the Premier League season.
Many supporters were questioning the decision of the board to sign another player from Chelsea, with Madueke hardly pulling up trees for the Blues in the two seasons he was in west London after signing from PSV Eindhoven.
However, Madueke impressed early on in the campaign under Mikel Arteta, despite not providing a goal or assist in those first six appearances in all competitions.
A knee injury halted his progress at the Emirates Stadium, leaving the pitch at half-time of the draw with Manchester City in September.
The England international was expected to be out for two months – with it exactly two months now since he picked up the problem – and there is a hope that he will be back in action soon.
Personal coach Saul Issakson-Hurst delivered an update on the 23-year-old, whom he has worked with in the past and is looking forward to getting back to work again once he is fully fit.
Speaking on GiveMeSport’s Market Madness podcast, Issakson-Hurst said: “The rehabilitation comes with the club, he can’t come back to me until he’s match fit, so it’s a very delicate process. So it’s about letting that process take time. I communicate with him, we chat although we can’t get back on the pitch until he’s fighting fit.
“Ironically, if I was working for a club, I’d probably be doing quite a lot of work with him, it would be an ideal time, non-contact, a lot of work on the pitch, but it’s very much waiting for him to be back and ready to go.”
Arsenal take on Tottenham Hotspur in the first North London Derby of the season on Sunday, what is one of the most highly-anticipated matches of the football calendar. And while Madueke will not be ready to take his place in the squad, his return is not far away.
Imminent return
Issakson-Hurst added: “From what I know it’s imminent, he should be back in contention very soon. I think it was anticipated having two months off. Originally, we talked about maybe going and doing some stuff in this international break, but he wasn’t quite ready.
“He’s there or thereabouts. He should be back quite soon.”
It is a big week for the Gunners. After the Spurs clash they host Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, with Madueke’s former club Chelsea hosting Arsenal at Stamford Bridge next Sunday. It could be the perfect time for Madueke to return to action to play against his former side.
Issakson-Hurst believe he will shine at Arsenal when he is back on the pitch.
He added: “You’re going to be judged on can you create and can you finish. He’s always going to make an impact. For me, at the beginning of the season, he was one of the best players in the Premier League – really direct, really dominant and really unlucky not to get more assists. With some better finishing he would have.”
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