Jenkinson’s long overdue Arsenal return was worth the wait

It took him almost 900 days but after finally appearing again for Arsenal, defender Carl Jenkinson admits he loved every minute of his return.

The right-back made his first Arsenal appearance for 898 days in the 2-0 EFL Cup win over Reading on Tuesday.

After two loan spells at West Ham and nine months sidelined with a knee injury, Jenkinson claims it was a relief to finally get back to what he loves best.

“It felt brilliant. It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “Of course, I was on loan for a couple of years and that was really good for me.

“But coming back and having nine months out injured has been very tough. So days and nights like these make it all worthwhile.”

And manager Arsene Wenger – who saw his side progress thanks to a double from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – singled out Jenkinson for special praise.

(Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“He nearly scored, he had a good opportunity,” said the boss. “But I think what is very positive for him, when you have his age and you do not play for such a long time, it’s a nightmare.

“I’m very happy for him that he could come back and play for 90 minutes. And you could see he is well prepared, he is a very professional guy.

“He had no cramps, nothing, and he did last the whole game so overall that’s fantastic for him.”