Arsene Wenger Wants Defender Rested Ahead of Man United Game

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Arsene Wenger has pleaded with France's international football coach Didier Deschamps to leave Laurent Koscielny out of their game against Ivory Coast next Tuesday.

The Arsenal boss in an interview before France played Sweden in a World Cup qualifier match on Friday night said that he has no issues seeing Koscielny in the squad for that match but aded that involving him in next week's friendly would be unnecessary.

“I’ve never tried to prevent a player from international duty. When it’s a competitive game I never intervene,” he said via The Telegraph.

“When it’s a friendly game, for example now Koscielny goes to the French national team, having played every single game apart from the first game of the season with us.

“France plays a friendly with Ivory Coast in the second game on Tuesday night. I can’t see the purpose of Koscielny playing the second game.

“I understand completely him playing against Sweden, it’s difficult to understand him playing the whole game against Ivory Coast because afterwards we play at Manchester United and then Paris Saint Germain.

“If it’s not needed, you try to find a compromise that suits both parties. I could ring [Didier Deschamps], but most of the time I don’t do it.

“Most of the guys who are national coaches have been inside the clubs and they know the problems you have and are well aware of what you face.”

Wenger's concern is understandable. There are already a number of injuries to key players like Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla, Hector Bellerin and he cannot afford to see more of his stars miss out of crucial games.