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Arsene Wenger has confirmed Alexis Sanchez will miss Saturday's north London derby against Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
Sanchez missed Sunday's thumping 5-0 Premier League win over Aston Villa with a hamstring injury and Wenger said on Friday the star is close to a return but will miss the short trip across north London.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed an impressive start to life at Emirates Stadium, scoring 12 league goals, but won't get a chance to score his first goal against Spurs after failing to register during a substitute appearance in the 1-1 home draw earlier in the season.
"The latest is that Alexis is not ready. He is not far away, the Leicester game is a possibility. He is of course very difficult to keep quiet! He is training but it's light training," said Wenger.
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The Frenchman also confirmed Jack Wilshere, who was caught up in a fresh smoking storm on Thursday night, will be back in full training next week, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is 'starting to practice' but yet to return to training.
