Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny has returned to training as he enters the next stage of his recovery from a knee injury.
The Egyptian suffered the injury in a training session ahead of January's 2-0 win over Tottenham.
At the time, manager Mikel Arteta could not confirm the extent of the problem - but did express concern that Elneny may have a long-term problem.
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In March, the midfielder signed a new one-year contract at Arsenal to cover next season, which has allowed the Egyptian the time to recover from his injury and get back into the first team squad before the beginning of the new campaign.
After signing his new deal, Elneny said: "When I got my injury, they spoke to me straight away. Mikel, on day one after my injury. Of course, that is something special to me.
"The first ever interview I gave when I signed, they asked me about what I saw in the future. I said I wanted to become an Arsenal legend."
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Fortunately, it appears that the Egyptian is on schedule in his comeback, having been pictured in training - and the club has issued an update on his recovery.
Elneny back in training
Arsenal have confirmed, via their official website, that Elneny is back on the training pitches at London Colney as he edges closer to a return to action.
However, the 30-year-old is not yet training with his team-mates, and the club state that he is still likely to be out for the remainder of the campaign.
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But Elneny has been running on the grass, and Arsenal say he was congratulated by Arteta and his fellow Gunners players for 'his hard work and determination to get back to this point'.
The midfielder will now be hoping to be fully fit in time for Arsenal's pre-season campaign, with the new Premier League season officially starting on Saturday, August 12.
He has made 155 appearances for the Gunners since signing from Swiss giants Basel in 2016, with eight of those appearances registered this season prior to his knee injury.
Topics: Arsenal, Premier League, Injury, Mikel Arteta
Ryan Smart