Bacary Sagna has pointed the finger at Norwich’s Bradley Johnson after suffering his second leg break in six months.
The French defender is out of Euro 2012 and believes he was the victim of a deliberate foul.
“I think he did it on purpose,” Sagna told French newspaper L’Equipe yesterday. “He stepped on my leg right where the plate was. I think the plate pressured (the bone). It’s a neat break, just above the plate.
“When I tried to control the ball, I felt a crack, just like the first time at Tottenham.”
Arsenal’s medical team will wait for a thorough examination of the broken fibula before making a full diagnosis but initial fears are that the 29-year-old will be sidelined for three months.
Sagna now faces a race to be fit for the start of next season but is adamant he will be back.
“That’s how it is. It’s football. I came back once, I will come back a second time. Even stronger.”
Arsenal report for pre-season in the first week of July and Wenger hopes Sagna can recover in time to play some part in the tour to Nigeria and south-east Asia.
Sagna’s broken leg tops off an injury hit season for the Frenchman, who spent four months out with a fractured ankle picked up in the defeat at Tottenham in October.
Saturday’s disappointing home draw struck a huge blow to Arsenal’s hopes of securing a top-three finish.
And yet again if it had not been for Robin van Persie – who scored twice – the Gunners’ season at the Emirates Stadium would have finished in an embarrassing defeat.
While the Dutchman continues to step up to the mark on the pitch, it is a completely different story off it.
Arsenal’s captain once again ducked a post-match interview, knowing his future would be the hot topic of conversation.
His refusal to shed light on his future has strengthened speculation that next week’s visit to West Brom could be his final game for the club.
And Wenger acknowledges the Gunners owe a huge debt to their talismanic striker.
“We were punished against Norwich because Robin had to score.
“Many times this season we have not scored enough goals from elsewhere,” he said. “We had so many obvious chances that you would want somebody else to score one. That doesn’t happen enough and of course we need to address that.”
Yet, while Arsenal’s season hangs in the balance, Norwich go into their final game against Aston Villa knowing they cannot finish lower than 14th.
But manager Paul Lambert is refusing to get carried away as he looks to ensure his side do not suffer from second season syndrome.
“You have to approach it as if it is your first time again,” said Lambert. “We can’t take anything for granted.” – Daily Mail