Wenger - Gibbs at his best before injury

Arsene Wenger believes Kieran Gibbs was at the peak of his powers before suffering a thigh injury against Liverpool last month.

The England international has had a fine season, but his latest setback has kept him on the sidelines for the past two weeks.

Wenger hopes to have Gibbs available for selection within a month, and expects the 23-year-old to return stronger than ever.

 “He is determined to come back as quickly as possible,” the manager said. “He’s a bit down because it was a big blow to him. It happened at the moment he played his best football.

“You always know that to play your best game, the confidence in your body is vital. As long as nothing happens to you, you don’t even question yourself.

“As soon as that happens repeatedly, it’s a problem for a top-level sportsman. I hope he will get over that very quickly. It gets you down. It’s difficult to be injured every time you play at your best.

“This is always a good period to build up the strength of a player - when he is injured. We have some experience in doing that and I am confident he will come back even stronger, but it will take him a while to get his complete confidence back in his body.”