Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pleased with progress

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has said that he is happy with his performance in his first match for five months.

The Arsenal midfielder, who sustained a knee ligament injury in the opening game of the season, managed 45 minutes for the club's Under-21s against Fulham yesterday.

The 20-year-old told the club's website: "It was the first match I've played in five months so it was more about getting the minutes under my belt and getting used to being back on a football pitch.

"On the ball I know I can do a lot better than that but it takes a few weeks, maybe even a month, to get back to your full sharpness. Obviously I wasn't at my full fitness here and it was quite hard, but the main thing was that I got through it and that is a positive. It is just really good to be back.

"It's never easy having an injury, especially when it's your first long-term one because you are not used to it and not sure how it will pan out. When I look back on it's been a good learning curve, but at the same time it is somewhere you don't want to be."

Manager Arsene Wenger has said that Oxlade-Chamberlain could feature against Aston Villa on Monday.