3 Arsenal players who never fulfilled their potential because of injuries
Arsene Wenger may be seen as a stubborn manager but that characteristic is precisely what makes him persistent in trusting some of the players whom he knew had exceptional talent. The Frenchman had uncovered many gems throughout his managerial career in London and some of them went on to build an illustrious football career such as the likes of Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira.
With his vast experience, he knew what it took to develop a player and make him even better. Nevertheless, not everyone succeeded under Wenger due to various reasons. Some of the players, who were expected to be the best in the team and in the country, did not quite make it because of their injuries.
As much as Wenger tried hard to include them back into the team and utilise their strengths, their injuries simply limited their potential. Here is a look at three such players for the Gunners.
#3 Abou Diaby
One could say that fans and Wenger knew the potential that Abou Diaby had because they had seen what he can do when he is on the pitch. However, after an ankle injury, the midfielder never stopped having recurrent injuries. At last, he decided to hang up his boots earlier this year.
When Diaby announced his retirement, Wenger paid triubute to the player. Diaby was great in his ball interceptions and passing. Standing at a height of 1.91m, he was also exceptional in aerial duels. His many injuries restricted him to the treatment room for the majority of his career. But many players know what a great talent he could have been. His former international team-mate, Paul Pogba, had also claimed that Diaby was better than him.
For many years, Wenger lacked midfielders who could dominate in the centre of the field, hold onto the ball while others advance and had the strength to push forward. Diaby was the player who could do all those, yet he was unable to play. It is a real pity that his career had ended up in such a state after the injury while playing against Sunderland. Surely if he had fully recovered from it, he would have been able to play a huge role in Arsenal and for the France national team.