Kallstrom injured for six weeks half-hour into Arsenal loan

Kim Kallstrom will be out injured for up to six weeks after aggravating a back injury during the first half-hour of his Arsenal career.

The Gunners’ only January signing arrived at the club with a minor back injury that was highlighted in the medical he undertook when he signed on Friday on loan from Spartak Moscow.

However, Arsene Wenger was told that the damage to Kallstrom’s back was not significant, sanctioned the move and the staff agreed a five-day programme to get the player fit. The midfielder was pencilled in to begin full training with the squad two days before the crunch Premier League trip to Liverpool next Saturday.

Kallstrom had a one-on-one session with an Arsenal fitness coach on Saturday morning but aggravated his back problem within 30 minutes and immediately headed for the treatment table.

Tests showed that the Sweden international will face a lengthy spell on the sidelines, with the club not expecting him to play for up to six weeks.

The farcical start to Kallstrom’s Arsenal career raises further questions about the injury prevention methods used by the Premier League leaders.

Coincidentally, the predicted timeframe for the 31-year-old’s unavailability is the same as that of the player he had principally been brought in to replace – Aaron Ramsey will also be out for up to six weeks after suffering a recurrence of a thigh injury in training on Monday.

Kallstrom is also expected to be out until mid-March, ruling him out of a demanding set of fixtures in which the Gunners play Liverpool and Bayern Munich twice each, and Manchester United.

Like Kallstrom and Ramsey, the injured Jack Wilshere and the suspended Mathieu Flamini are unavailable for Sunday’s home league match against Crystal Palace.

However, Tomas Rosicky has been passed fit after missing three matches with a broken nose. The Czech Republic international has been pencilled in for a central role alongside Mikel Arteta.

GOAL