Arsenal look set to be handed an early Christmas present with
the return to action of forgotten man Lauren.
The Cameroon defender has been out of action for 11 months after
suffering a serious knee ligament injury, but made a successful
comeback in a friendly against Vietnamese side Hoang Anh Gia Lai at
Arsenal's training ground.
The 29-year-old played 55 minutes without suffering any ill-effects
and could be back in contention to challenge Emmanuel Eboue for the
right-back berth during the festive period.
Only last month Lauren revealed he had feared for his future during
his extended period on the sidelines.
"There were some stages when I said to myself 'I will not come back
from this'," he revealed.
"I seriously thought I wouldn't play again and I said that to some
people. Mentally, I was very weak and very low.
"I would train for two days and I needed four days to
recover."
Following his successful comeback, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger could
be tempted to hand Lauren a place in the side for Tuesday's Carling
Cup quarter-final clash with Liverpool.