Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: 'Nacho Monreal not ready to return'

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that Nacho Monreal has only just started to step up his comeback from a back injury.

During the first half of the EFL Cup final against Manchester City, Monreal was forced off and Wenger acknowledged that the Spaniard would spend a period on the sidelines.

Wenger had suggested that there was a chance that arguably his best-performing defender of the season would be ready to feature at San Siro, but that has not turned out to be the case.

At a press conference, the Frenchman told reporters: "We had to leave Monreal behind as well because he's not ready. He started a little session today but he's not ready."

Fellow full-back Hector Bellerin has also been ruled out due to a knee injury.