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The THREE words Arsenal boss Unai Emery said when asked about Aaron Ramsey injury
ARSENAL manager Unai Emery could only draw a blank when asked whether or not Aaron Ramsey has played his last game for the club.
The midfielder was forced off injured after just 31 minutes of the Gunners’ 1-0 Europa League quarter-final second leg win at Napoli last night.
Emery’s charges secured their spot in the final four of the competition courtesy of Alexandre Lacazette’s stunning free-kick in Naples, which sealed a 3-0 aggregate success.
But Aaron Ramsey’s forced first-half withdrawal cast a downer on proceedings in Italy, with the Welshman now into the final stages of his Arsenal career.
The 28-year-old will join Napoli’s Serie A rivals Juventus upon the expiry of his contract in north London this summer.
Having spent 10 years at Arsenal since joining from Cardiff for around £5m and contributed hugely to their FA Cup successes in that time, Ramsey will receive a warm send-off before his new European adventure.
But his injury has raised doubts as to whether he will be able to play any part in Arsenal’s own continental exploits with his muscle issue potentially ruling him out of a semi-final showdown with Valencia.
Yet Emery could shed no light on the true severity of the Wales international’s problem.
After the clash the Spaniard gave an update on the extent of Ramsey’s injury and admitted he doesn’t know if he will play for the club again.
I don't know
He explained: “It is a muscular injury. Normally it will be some weeks out for him.
“But we have other players and we can find a performance and rotate players.”
When asked if Ramsey has played his last game for Arsenal, he responded: “I don't know.”
Arsenal legend Martin Keown believes Ramsey’s injury presents Emery with a sizeable dilemma as they look to reach the Europa League final and also secure a first top-four finish since 2015-16.
Keown told BT Sport: “Now the dust settles that’s a huge loss because there’s the top four to aim for, there’s a final to get to, to try and go one better than they did last year.
“But it’s going to be tough without him [Ramsey] they have to find the right solution to playing without him.
“Is it going to be [Mesut] Ozil, is it going to be [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan, or does he change the system?
“There’s a lot to think about for the manager on a night when he can be really pleased with his team’s work.”
Arsenal’s return to Premier League action at the weekend sees them face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday (4pm).