Arsene Wenger has given an update on striker Danny Welbeck’s potential return back to the first-team fold.

The former Manchester United forward has suffered plenty of injury problems in the last couple of years. He has never really managed to have a consistent run in the first team due to this reason.

Welbeck has primarily suffered injuries related to the knee since his £ 16 million move from Manchester United to Arsenal. Since making 34 appearances in the 2014-15 season, he has only managed 15 more in the last two campaigns. Such has been his numerous problems with injuries.

However, Wenger is expecting the striker to return before the end of the season and he has put January as the potential date to see Welbeck start training with the first team. This comes as a positive news, but Wenger is unlikely to rush the striker considering the length of time he has been out of the game.

In his first season at the Emirates stadium, Welbeck came up with eight goals in 34 games. Just when it seemed that he would build on this record with five goals in 15 appearances last season, another major knee injury has put him out for almost a year. Welbeck was also forced to the miss the Euro 2016 competition due to this injury.

“He's ahead of schedule and he'll be back in January. It will take 2 months competition for him to get back to his best,” said the Arsenal manager. Back in May, it was revealed that the striker had suffered a significant cartilage damage. Since Arsenal are unlikely to rush him back, it is likely that the striker may be seen back in the first team action only towards the end of February. This should provide him with plenty of time to recuperate.