Before his expected return to Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has denied “false rumors” that he departed the Gabon squad owing to indiscipline.
The 32-year-old is expected to return to Arsenal for medical tests after being diagnosed with heart lesions following an initial Covid-19 test, but has since returned to training and appears to be in good health.
Arsenal is yet to receive confirmation from the Gabonese Football Federation, but several news houses have reached out to the Premier League team for comment.
Aubameyang has tweeted: “We have some problems that are hard to resolve by themselves, then rumours get thrown into the mix.
“We have to look after our health first and foremost. I’m not going to talk about the false rumours and I truly hope our team goes as far as possible.”
Nous avons des problèmes déjà compliqué à régler puis à cela s’ajoute des rumeurs bref on a une santé à soigner avant tout je ne reviendrais pas sur ces fausses rumeurs et je souhaite de tout cœur que notre équipe aillent le plus loin possible 🇬🇦❤️
— AUBA⚡️ (@Auba) January 17, 2022
On his arrival in Cameroon for the competition, the forward tested positive for coronavirus, but he returned a negative test last week before practice on Thursday.
Following bouts of Covid-19, Aubameyang, Mario Lemina, and Axel Meye were all found to have “cardiac lesions.”
Gabon manager Patrice Neveu has said: “As you know, he’s a key player for Arsenal, although he’s going through a tough period at the moment.
“We still have to report to clubs. And when a player’s health is affected and as you know, they are paid by the club, we have to be reasonable at some point.”
Lemina reacts:
Nice midfielder Lemina also responded to the reports by posting a statement on Instagram, which read: “I’m not even going to feed the lies that are trying to cause harm. I couldn’t care less.
“I feel pain for my national team which is surrounded by liars who are looking for a buzz.
“Good luck for the rest of the competition and future call-ups.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
How’s Gabon fairing in the competition?
Gabon are in second place in Group C and they need a point against table-toppers Morocco to advance to the knockout stages. Last Monday, they won 1-0 over Comoros Islands in their group opener before snatching a late equalizer against Ghana in their second match. Tensions erupted at full-time, and the game even ended in a brawl.
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