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Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

Ramsey out for 'some weeks' so may have played his final game for Arsenal

Aaron Ramsey’s hamstring injury soured an otherwise excellent Europa League outing for the Gunners.

UNAI EMERY IS unsure over whether Aaron Ramsey has played his last game for Arsenal after the Juventus-bound midfielder suffered an apparent hamstring injury during Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League win over Napoli. 

Alexandre Lacazette’s superb free-kick in the 36th minute crowned a 3-0 aggregate triumph for the Gunners but came shortly after a punishing setback for Ramsey. 

The 28-year-old Wales international will end an 11-year association with Arsenal at the end of this season and Emery confirmed he had sustained a muscular injury. 

“Normally it is going to be some weeks out of the team,” he told BT Sport. 

“He was in a very good moment. We have other players who have an opportunity also. We need all the players.

“This is something that means we need to use rotation and find the performances.”

Asked whether Ramsey had played his last game for the club, Emery replied: “I don’t know.” 

There were few, if any, other blemishes on an accomplished performance that sets up a semi-final for three-time Europa League winner Emery against his former club Valencia. 

“I grew up a lot in this competition and I think the Europa League gives us a big opportunity, when we cannot play in the Champions League, to do something important,” he told his post-match news conference. 

“It’s one title but it gives us the opportunity to play in the Champions League next year, when our domestic league has a lot of teams also trying to take this ticket. 

“The Europa League is for us now, with the Premier League, an important competition. 

“I think Napoli, with their supporters, showed us they wanted to do something important here. We won because we worked really well and made a big performance. 

“We showed good personality to play with our idea. We wanted to keep more of the ball but we didn’t do all I wanted. 

“In the positional play we were very good and doing good pressing against them because they want to build up possession with combinations.  

“We did big pressure against them and were in their box a lot of moments with the possibility to score.” 

Carlo Ancelotti rued a tale of missed chances for his Napoli side, with Arkadiusz Milik and Jose Callejon the main culprits as the tie slipped away. 

“We are not happy, of course, but in the two games where we didn’t do too well was the first 20 minutes in the first game,” he told BT Sport.

“We tried today and had the opportunities two times. When Arsenal scored it was almost impossible. 

“Of course, then we needed to score four goals and we lost a little bit of confidence. It was important for this game to score quickly. We were unlucky and when they scored the game was finished.” 

Ancelotti added: “We missed opportunities. We could score there, we could score here but Arsenal are a fantastic team. We have to look forward.

Gavan Casey and Murray Kinsella are joined by Andy Dunne to preview the Champions Cup semi-finals and all the week’s news on the latest episode of The42 Rugby Weekly:


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    Mute Colin Webber
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    May 16th 2015, 8:07 PM

    Hopefully that’s the last game Matt O’Connor takes as Head Coach of Leinster. He needs to be removed for all concerned.

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    Mute Stuart
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    May 16th 2015, 10:11 PM

    Not gunna happen. Madigan voiced his support in the post game MOTM interview. This will be a very different Leinster with Johnny back next year. But I don’t see MOC’s contract being renewed, no matter what happens. Leinster’s 2015/16 season will be defined by the non-internationals though.

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    Mute King Ruck
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    May 16th 2015, 5:49 PM

    Indeed, Madigan once again shows his class … against weak, unstructured opposition). That level of consistency is hard to come by. Book him a ticket for the World Cup – he’s back (from mediocrity).

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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    May 16th 2015, 6:20 PM

    Not sure why you got all the red thumbs puck. Your point is valid. This was a meaningless dead rubber against poor opposition.

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    Mute Mark Lawlor
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    May 16th 2015, 6:35 PM

    You can only play what’s in front of you, red thumbs are probably about the mediocrity statement which was harsh.

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    Mute King Ruck
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    May 16th 2015, 9:48 PM

    I don’t know either but I’m being serious about the world cup place. He’ll do a job for us against the mighty Namibia or Canada.

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    Mute Chris Mcdonnell
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    May 17th 2015, 2:25 PM

    Cian this was a game the scots needed to win so it was no meaningless game from their point of view.
    Leinster’s win also gave Connaught a boast.
    The reason there’s so many madigan articles is because many Leinster fans believed that if he played 10 our season would have been so different.
    Also he’s not had a run at 10 since joe’s last season, a few games here and there last season.

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    Mute Gary
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    May 16th 2015, 6:36 PM

    Lol, munster trolls are out in force. The chip gets bigger.

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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    May 16th 2015, 10:47 PM

    Why because we question an opinion progressed ad nauseum on the journal? No chips here, Madigan is a good player, but hes at a crossroads. You’d swear he is the messiah on here..m

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    Mute mcgov
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    May 17th 2015, 8:39 AM

    He is not a prophet, he is a very naughty boy

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    Mute Dave Fingleton
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    May 17th 2015, 11:49 AM

    Nice one, Centurion…

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    Mute Chris Mcdonnell
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    May 16th 2015, 10:14 PM

    Leading point scorer in Europe plays maybe his 3 or 4 game at 10 this season and 5 tries in the bag. I wonder what Leinster’s season would have turned out like if he played there more often.

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    Mute Phil O' Meara
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    May 16th 2015, 7:46 PM

    Wow. That rarest of sights- another Ian Madigan headline on The 42.
    I genuinely have nothing against the chap but am bemused by Will’s man crush.
    This player, to be impartial, will be second choice outhalf for Leinster next year and at best third choice Irish outhalf.
    The very best thing be could do for his career would be to move to England, like JJ, and make the outhalf spot his own before returning to Leinster.

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    Mute Philip
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    May 16th 2015, 6:18 PM

    Can he do it against Stoke on a Tuesday night?

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    Mute 09celts
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    May 16th 2015, 6:43 PM

    Marian is the best option Ireland has to come on after 60 mins , if we needed to open up the
    opposition .

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    Mute Captain NerbNerb
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    May 16th 2015, 6:47 PM

    I think away to Edinburgh in an empty Murrayfield is pretty much the pro 12 equivalent of Stoke on a Tuesday night. Not exactly a glamour fixture!

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    Mute Johnny Fitz
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    May 16th 2015, 7:44 PM

    Sportsgrounds on a wet Friday is pretty much the pro 12 equivalent of Stoke on a Tuesday night. A seemingly unglamorous where it notoriously tough game and difficult to get a result. Edinburgh is more like a trip to Villa, a half empty stadium with a questionable atmosphere and wildly inconsistent opponent prone to self-destructing….

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    Mute Dave Lawlor
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    May 17th 2015, 11:23 AM

    Old cliche in sport tells us you don’t become a bad player overnight. Given the fact he has played mostly at 12 this season, his kicking stats are impressive and is comfortable at 10, 12 and a push 15 has him in the w/c squad. Good to see 4/5 scores from academy graduates. Hopefully MOC gives some of these young lads game time next year and not just during the world cup when he’s down at least 18 first choice players!

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