By IANS
London : Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is out for at least two weeks after aggravating an Achilles tendon injury in Germany’s 2-1 friendly win over England at the Wembley Stadium.
Spanish keeper Manuel Almunia will replace Lehman when Arsenal face Manchester City Saturday, according to reports appearing in British newspapers Friday.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said: “Jens is out and he will miss two weeks, I think. Maybe more – I don’t know.
“He is going to see a specialist in Germany Friday. He had this injury before but it got much worse.”
Wenger is confident that Almunia will not let him down while Lehmann is out.
“Almunia is equipped to take responsibility because he did very, very well when he played last year,” added Wenger.
“He is mature, he has all the attributes you need to be successful. It was a close decision who is my number-one keeper because of his performances last season.”
The 37-year-old Lehmann has made two high-profile errors for Arsenal in the last fortnight.
He gifted Fulham striker David Healy a goal when trying to deal with a backpass in Arsenal’s opening game of the new season and let a David Dunn shot slip through his hands to give Blackburn Rovers an equaliser Sunday.
But Wenger says he still has confidence in his veteran goalkeeper. “Apart from the mistakes, he’s had good games,” Wenger said.
“The problem is when you get older people say you’re in decline, but I am still convinced Jens is top draw.”