Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny has revealed he will require daily treatment on an Achilles injury until the end of his playing career.

The 31-year-old is currently managing his game time due to a minor calf problem and will miss the Premier League visit of relegated Sunderland on Tuesday night.

Koscielny should be fit for the final league game of the campaign, a home match against Everton, as well as the FA Cup final against Chelsea on May 27, but he is also having to work consistently on his ankle to keep himself fit and available for selection.

“I have some problems,” he said when asked about his Achilles. “Now it is better. I know it is a difficult injury because you need to work every day on this. Every morning I have my treatment for my Achilles and I know I need to do this to the end of my career.

Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Stoke vs Arsenal: Player ratings We run the rule over the two teams. Arsenal FC via Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Jack Butland - 7 out of 10 Made a couple of excellent saves to prevent the scoreline being even worse. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Glen Johnson - 5 out of 10 Shrugged off too easily for Arsenal’s third in a not overly convincing defensive display. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Ryan Shawcross - 5 out of 10 The Stoke defence was too easily breached on multiple occasions. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Bruno Martins Indi - 6 out of 10 Came close to scoring and was probably the pick of Stoke’s defenders but was often too easily beaten. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Eric Pieters - 6 out of 10 A fairly quiet game but was often exposed out wide. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Geoff Cameron - 6 out of 10 Barely got on the ball as Stoke struggled for any foothold for large periods of the game. AFP/Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Glen Whelan - 6 out of 10 Not much possession for the home side meant his impact was fairly minimal. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Xherdan Shaqiri - 5 out of 10 Failed to get in the game much in a fairly disappointing performance. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Joe Allen - 6 out of 10 Subbed with half an hour to go after a quiet game as Stoke struggled for possession. AFP/Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Marco Arnautovic - 7 out of 10 Probably Stoke’s liveliest player before the second half subs were made and should have had an assist had Diouf not botched the chance. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Mame Diouf - 5 out of 10 Subbed in second half after an anonymous display. Only contribution was somehow heading a great chance wide second before being subbed off. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Petr Cech - 7 out of 10 Made a couple of great saves when Stoke threatened to get back into things. Getty Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Rob Holding - 7 out of 10 Not overly tested at the back and enjoyed a fairly solid performance. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Shkodran Mustafi - 6 out of 10 Looked the least comfortable of Arsenal’s back three but wasn’t really tested too much. Arsenal FC via Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Laurent Koscielny - 6 out of 10 Solid enough at the back in a fairly easy game. Arsenal FC via Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Hector Bellerin - 6 out of 10 Great run and pass for opening goal. Little to do in defence and contributed well in attack. Arsenal FC via Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Francois Coquelin - 6 out of 10 Had a pretty easy ride in midfield all afternoon. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Granit Xhaka - 6 out of 10 You’d be forgiven for not realising he was playing, a reasonable if quiet game from the midfielder. Arsenal FC via Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Nacho Monreal - 7 out of 10 Lively going forward, missed a great chance for a goal, hitting the post but was often a thorn in Stoke’s side. Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Mesut Ozil - 8 out of 10 Too good for Stoke, particularly in combination with Sanchez, took his goal brilliantly. AFP/Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Alexis Sanchez - 8 out of 10 Lovely assist for second goal and then despite looking injured he surged forward to score Arsenal’s third. AFP/Getty Images Stoke City vs Arsenal player ratings Olivier Giroud - 7 out of 10 In the right place at the right time to put away his goals from a combined distance of about six yards, in a surprisingly clinical display. Getty Images

“Now, every day I do this and it is okay but sometimes with all the games we play every three days, it is difficult and I need to have a rest to recover well for my Achilles.

“That's why last time I was injured but now it is okay with this. You need to be careful with this because if you stop doing your own exercise programme for one or two weeks, the problem will come back. I know now I need to do this every day to be fit for my team.

“I am prepared to miss Sunderland to be fit for the last two games of this season. Sometimes it is better to miss one game to be fit for the others.”

Koscielny captained the Gunners to an impressive 4-1 win at Stoke on Saturday, their sixth win in seven across all competitions. The upturn in results looks likely to come too late for Arsene Wenger and his side, however, as a place in the top four is now improbable with Liverpool and Manchester City also victorious over the weekend.

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Wenger remains under pressure to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, with a growing number of supporters protesting against the Frenchman signing a new deal.

Wenger had guided Arsenal into the Champions League in the last 18 seasons but looks set to come up short this time around. Although often derided for defending his record for finishing in the top four rather than consistently winning silverware, Koscielny admitted Wenger would rather qualify for next season's Champions League than win the FA Cup.

“Playing in the Champions League,” he said when asked to choose between the two. “It is a competition players want to play because you play against the best teams in Europe. For the players, it is always an important competition.

“It is important for Arsenal, a club who played for 20 years in this competition to be qualified for another year. It is very important for Arsenal to be with the best teams in Europe.”

Koscielny was signed by Wenger from Lorient in 2010 and has developed into a key player at the Emirates Stadium, but he conceded the uncertainty over the manager's future at the club is hanging over the squad.

“It is a difficult situation, we don't know what happens with the boss,” he said. “But we are professional, we are salaried to this club and we just want to have the best result for this club - not to think about other situations or this situation of the boss.

“We are all in the same boat and the captain is Arsenal, we need to fight for this club and don't think about what is happening with the boss or the players.

“This is a situation, maybe some players don't feel great but you need to be focused on our job and have the best results for Arsenal.