Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has claimed that Abou Diaby is not injury prone, despite only featuring in 22 games for his side in four years.
The Frenchman believes that Diaby's ankle has never been the same since he fractured it against Sunderland in 2006 when he was tackled by defender Dan Smith.
Wenger has insisted that the 28-year-old is not "fragile", even though the midfielder has reportedly been ruled out for a further three months with a hamstring injury.
He told beINSport: "He is a player that I have an enormous amount of respect for. Everytime he comes back, he has to start from zero with another injury. He was a victim of competition.
"A footballer needs his ankle. He was destroyed by a bad tackle at Sunderland six or seven years ago which altered his ankle. He is not a fragile player. He was the victim of an assassin's tackle that went unpunished."
Diaby has played just once for the Gunners this season.
Simon Sinclair
