Mertesacker returns to training following knee injury

Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker returned to training ahead of the final Champions League group A clash against Basel tomorrow. 

The German defender has yet to play a game in 2016-17 after suffering a serious knee injury in pre-season.

Mertesacker, 32, was seen taking part in running drills with assistant fitness coach Craig Gant while the Gunners prepared for their game in Switzerland on Tuesday night.

Experienced centre-back Mertesacker faces an uncertain future at the club, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season and compatriot Shkodran Mustafi currently ahead of him in the defensive pecking order following his arrival from Valencia in the summer.

Bundesliga sides Hannover and Werder Bremen have both been linked with a move for their former defender, although Mertesacker himself revealed last month that securing a new deal with Arsene Wenger's men remains his ‘absolute priority’.