Abou Diaby set for release by Arsenal – but could the midfielder still have a Gunners future?

Abou Diaby is set to leave Arsenal after the injury-plagued midfielder was named on the release list by the Barclays Premier League, but Arsene Wenger's continued faith in the player has triggered an element of doubt about his future.

The 29-year-old Frenchman has been struck by terrible luck since a move from Auxerre in January 2006, suffering from a plethora of different injuries which culminated in the knee ligament damage he suffered which reduced him to just a single appearance last season.

While clubs are required to list those players who are set to be out of contract after the submission deadline of late May, the Premier League stress it "should not be seen as definitive for players leaving their club."

Wenger had long defended Diaby, a player he viewed as a great asset when at his peak, and condemned the tackle by Sunderland’s Dan Smith in May 2006 that triggered the midfielder’s hapless injury record.

Speaking in November 2014, he said: "Diaby is a player that I have an enormous amount of respect for. Every time he comes back he has to start from zero with another injury.

"He is not a fragile player. He was the victim of an assassin's tackle that went unpunished."

Wenger later stressed: "If Diaby is fully fit, he will have a new deal at Arsenal."

However, by April, the Gunners boss indicated the situation was perhaps not as straightforward despite Diaby having started to play for the Under-21s to build up match sharpness.

"I had a chat with him and told him how I can envisage the future," Wenger said.

"Of course he understands completely that he has to perform and to show that he can be present on a consistent way. I will see where we go from there."