Oxlade-Chamberlain included in Arsenal squad to face Aston Villa

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be on the substitutes bench for Monday’s Premier League match against Aston Villa.

The England winger returned to full training earlier this week after five months out of action with a knee injury.

Chamberlain’s inclusion is a welcome boost for Arsene Wenger’s side who will be without Theo Walcott for the rest of the season following his anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained against Tottenham last Saturday.

Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud and Mesut Özil should be fit for the game at the Emirates, while Aaron Ramsey and Kieran Gibbs have a ‘small possibility’ of returning.

Wenger also revealed that Danish frontman Nicklas Bendtner is still three weeks away from full training and admitted that injuries may have ‘accelerated’ his transfer plans to sign a striker in the coming weeks.