It’s been a busy month for Arsenal with regard to this season’s loan army and one member is poised to have his spell cut short.
Promising midfielder Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand, who was on the bench for several first-team games last season, has failed to make a single appearance for Hull City because of a thigh injury and Liam Rosenior has confirmed the 19-year-old is expected to return to his parent club shortly.
“Salah is someone who has struggled for a long period of time,” Rosenior told Hull Live. “He trained for the first time (in months) over the last two days but he’s so far away still. He couldn’t train today (Thursday) because of the intensity. He’s a young kid and he’s had quite a tough injury. It’s one where we’re looking at the best option for him and what the solution is.
“Does he go back to his parent club and get his rehab done there? Because it’s going to be very, very difficult for him to play games here. That’s something that’s not just a discussion for me. I have to look after the best interests of the group and him, and at the moment he’s not someone that features in my plans in the short term.”
Whilst Salah-Eddine is on his way back to Arsenal, Cedric Soares and Marquinhos are set to become the latest members of the loan army with moves to Fulham and Norwich City, respectively, set to be announced thus becoming the fifth and sixth players to join a new club this month after Miguel Azeez, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Ovie Ejeheri and Arthur Okonkwo.
For one reason or another, Nicolas Pepe, Mika Biereth, Tom Smith, Tyreece John-Jules, Okonkwo and Marcelo Flores didn’t feature for their respective loan clubs over the weekend. Nor did Azeez and it was announced that he must serve a one-match ban for Wigan (against Blackburn on Monday, 6 February) after admitting an improper conduct charge.