Arsenal Set To Miss Van Persie And Fabregas For Anfield Clash

Arsène Wenger has suggested that Cesc Fábregas and Robin van Persie will struggle to be fit for Arsenal's opening game of the Premier League season, against Liverpool at Anfield two weeks on Sunday. The manager has also effectively confirmed that he is in negotiations with Werder Bremen over the transfer of the Germany centre-half Per Mertesacker.
Fábregas and Van Persie played in the World Cup final on 11 July, for Spain and Holland respectively, and Wenger has granted them extended summer leave in light of their exertions. They are not due to report back to the training ground until next Thursday, meaning they will miss this weekend's Emirates Cup, when Arsenal play Milan and Celtic, and, almost certainly, the club's final pre-season fixture, at Legia Warsaw on Saturday week.
"Fábregas and Van Persie are due to come back on 5 August and from then on we will see how much build-up work is needed physically and as well how they have recovered mentally from the World Cup," Wenger said. "They might be short for the first game [of the season] but I don't know. That will depend on the fitness work that they have done during the holiday."