Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that he did not lie about Danny Welbeck's injury, following criticism of the club's transfer policy.

The England striker is expected to be out for several months after undergoing surgery on a knee problem that kept him out of the final few games of last season.

It has been suggested that the Gunners had time to sign a replacement before the transfer window closed on September 1, but Wenger has claimed that it is not a simple process.

"You either find someone who strengthens your squad or not. Whether we have players injured or not doesn't change the problem, that's what I don't understand from the media," the Frenchman told ESPN.

"First of all I am surprised that people accused me of lying when I was in the press conference on Friday morning, I did not know Welbeck had a bad setback. I did not lie to you, I gave you the information I had.

"I heard late on Friday night that his condition had not evolved as well as we thought it was and he had needed specialist and needed further investigation. Apart from that, if we did not find someone [to sign], we did not find them."

Petr Cech was the only signing that Arsenal made during the summer.