Lukas Podolski returns to Arsenal training

Lukas Podolski with Thierry Henry and Olivier Giroud at an Arsenal training session.

Lukas Podolski  has returned to full training at Arsenal, as he looks to step up his recovery from the hamstring injury that has kept him out of the side since August. Hot on the heels of fellow wide-man Theo Walcott’s return from injury, German international Podolski is set to hand Arsenal a further boost in their battle for the Premier League title.

Podolski wasn’t the only returning face at Arsenal training this week, as former players Thierry Henry and Robert Pires both joined in first team training, although Arsene Wenger insisted on the club’s website that he had no plans to sign either of the veteran duo.

Podolski’s last game came on 24th August, when he scored two as the side eased to a 3-1 win over Fulham. Whilst he is back in training, manager Arsene Wenger says that he is “a few weeks away” from full fitness.

Henry is currently playing for MLS outfit New York Red Bulls, whilst Pires has not played since he left Aston Villa in 2011. On the returning duo Wenger said:

“They like to come back to Arsenal, to practise. When they can join in, they do. They integrate well with the spirit of the team. Nothing more than that!

“They have no real target to bring something, they just want to enjoy themselves and keep their fitness. Usually they don’t practise with the first team because they come in and work on fitness.

“It is a little bit less competitive, [but] when we have some room we invite them to play with us but usually they train separately to us.”

Podolski has yet to take a shot this season that hasn’t ended up in the back of the net, scoring with both of the efforts that he has taken.