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The Arsenal faithful will no doubt have breathed a collective sigh this week, as reports suggest Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky is to retire without ever again donning the red and white of Arsenal.
The 35-year-old could be out for the season having added a partial tendon rupture in his thigh to the long list of injuries sustained over a ten year career with the Gunners.
Arsene Wenger explained with bemusement how Rosicky had sustained the injury.
“I observed him, he's very conscientious, he did sprint and sprint and sprint," the Arsenal manager said. "He warmed up well for 20 minutes. He comes on, after three minutes he got the injury.”
Whether Rosicky plays again or not, he will be remembered as an excellent servant of the club but also a player prone to injury.
Here, we take a look at those players who made the Arsenal treatment room their second home over the years...
Show all 16 1 /16Arsenal's most injury prone players Arsenal's most injury prone players Theo Walcott Having been at Arsenal for a decade after moving from Southampton in 2006, Theo Walcott has racked up an astounding 44 injuries. His ankle has been the main offender, causing the winger to be sidelined nine times. Other injuries, including six instances of thigh problems and three hamstring problems have caused the striker to have racked up over 1000 days out the beautiful game.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Abou Diaby The injury prone ex-Arsenal midfielder endured a 17-month spell on the sidelines and is due to soon return to action with new club Marseille, no doubt with caution. The France international suffered a whopping 42 injuries during his time at Arsenal and spent over 2100 days injured for the club, over two thirds of his north London career. He appeared just twice in his final two seasons with the Gunners.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Tomas Rosicky The midfielder, currently out with a partial rupture of his tendon, is another member of the 1000+ club. Rosicky has been plagued by injury throughout his career, having suffered eight different instances of hamstring problems and seven thigh-related issues.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Jack Wilshere Jack Wilshere, once hailed as having a very high skill ceiling, had a recurring spate of injuries seemingly ruin his potential for true greatness. Marred by a stunting hairline crack in his calf bone, the England international missed 196 days and 36 games from one injury alone. His total of 839 days out led many fans to lose faith in the exclusively Arsenal player. Wilshere has undergone several surgeries on his ankle and knee in order to return to fitness for the Gunners.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Fredrik Ljungberg From a broken wrist and Achilles tendon problems to calf and hip troubles, the Gunners legend may have been magical on his toes, but they were fragile feet. He claimed after leaving the club in 2007 that manager Arsene Wenger forced him to play while injured and had a particularly strict fitness regime. Wenger allowed Ljungberg to miss matches twice when had a migraine, so maybe Freddie was being a little dramatic.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Kieran Gibbs Still relatively young at 26, Kieran Gibbs has been no stranger to the medical room. He is quickly approaching the likes of Walcott and Rosicky’s feats, having long surpassed 500 days out. The defender has mainly suffered with hip, calf and groin problems, with over three sets of each injury.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Robin van Persie One of Arsenal’s true greats, RVP‘s ankle turned out to be his weak spot, a problem that carried through to his time at Manchester United. Of his 27 injuries sustained during his time at Arsenal that caused him to spend 341 days out of action, 11 of those were ankle-related. The star, who also suffered five thigh problems and metatarsal issues, missed 77 games for the Gunners.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Thomas Vermaelen A bulwark in Arsenal’s defence for five years, Vermaelen suffered from various different injuries. His calves were particularly troublesome, causing him to miss games on six occasions. The Belgian international was out for 540 days at Arsenal and is now at Barcelona where his problems went with him. In his first season at the Nou Camp he played just once.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Johan Djourou Now captain of Hamburg, Johan Djourou racked up a significant absentee record during his time at Arsenal between loans. Operations on his knee meant the defender was out for 231 days and missed 48 games. He was additionally sidelined for over 100 games with various other primarily groin-related issues.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Bacary Sagna Sagna has perhaps the nastiest Arsenal injury record in memory, breaking his leg twice in the same season. The combined injuries sidelined him for 268 days, over half of his grand total of 451 on the treatment table. His other injuries included a neck injury that looked as though it could have been worse at the time, two pulled hamstrings and a back injury.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Philippe Senderos The Swiss centre back spent six seasons in north London, repeatedly incurring injuries common in the footballing world. From his hamstring, ankles and knees to hips, back and shoulder injuries. Senderos’ injuries came from almost minute one of his Arsenal career, suffering a six week back injury followed by a season-ending bone complication in his foot. Luckily for his career longevity at the time, Senderos’ non-season occurred during Arsenal’s iconic 2003 performance, relieving initial pressure on the youngster.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Thierry Henry The fulcrum of the ‘invincibles’ side that won the league in 2003/2004, Henry was no stranger to injury. He suffered 21 for the Gunners, of which four were hamstring, four were Achilles issues and three were groin strains.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Laurent Koscielny In his six-year spell at Arsenal (2010-present), Koscielny has amassed 27 injuries. His calves have been a real problem for Arsene Wenger, who has missed his presence during his nine various calf-related absences. The defender also received treatment for three hip problems and a head laceration.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Cesc Fabregas The Spain international suffered regular problems with his thigh while at Arsenal which caused him to spend 126 days sidelined over five different periods. Fabregas’ most notable injury was a broken leg in 2010 which ended his season.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Manuel Almunia Arsenal’s white-haired panther spent 331 days out of action for the Gunners during his eight-year spell with the club. Suffering mainly wrist, elbow and thumb injuries, the Spanish keeper remained relatively fit during his first four years, but experienced sporadic problems in his twilight period at the Emirates.
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Arsenal's most injury prone players Kim Kallstrom When Arsene Wenger signed Kim Kallstrom on loan in the January window of the 2013/14 season the Swede was meant to be plugging a gap caused by injuries at the club. So when it turned out he was crocked before he had even arrived, it didn't make much sense. What was even more baffling was how he had sustained the injury; The midfielder apparently hurt himself playing beach volleyball. He ultimately made just four appearances.
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Whether Rosicky plays again or not, he will be remembered as an excellent servant of the club but also a player prone to injury.
The Gunners face Premier League leaders Leicester City this Sunday afternoon.
