Alexis may miss the start of the season with an illness

Believe it or not, the start of the Premier League season is closing in on us, with the Community Shield match against Chelsea a little over a week away now. But Arsenal could be heading into this start without Alexis Sánchez, and not for the reasons you’d expect.

According to a post he made on Instagram, Alexis is not feeling well. Although he does have a golden retriever snuggling up next to him, so really, how bad can things be for him right now?

Anyways, if the illness is serious, it could mean that Alexis, who still hasn’t started training with the rest of the squad after a deep run with Chile in this summer’s Confederations Cup, might not be ready for action when Arsenal starts playing meaningful matches again.

For its part, ESPN FC writes, “PA Sport reports that Sanchez is suffering from flu and that Arsenal are not sure as of yet if the illness will impact on his return to the club following the summer break.” Although without any other sources confirming the “flu” part take that with a grain of salt.

But this is yet another shadow cast over Alexis’ status with Arsenal. After all, he still hasn’t signed a new contract, and while the latest reports indicate he is expected to stay, it looks for now like, one way or another, there’s a decent chance Arsenal will be taking the field without one of its best players to start the season.