Danny Welbeck will not return until the New Year but he has not suffered a setback in his rehabilitation, as one report suggested yesterday.

The striker suffered a knee injury in April and a decision was taken in September to undergo surgery. It had been suggested the 25-year-old would not be available until February at the earliest - placing his participation for England at Euro 2016 in doubt - but Welbeck remains on course to return to action next month.

Welbeck last featured for Arsenal on 26 April in a 0-0 draw against Chelsea.

Earlier this month, the former Manchester United man said: "It is difficult. It is my first injury that has kept me out for so long. I had my operation and once that is sorted you can be out for a few more months," Welbeck told Arsenal's official site.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal - player ratings 24 show all Aston Villa vs Arsenal - player ratings 1/24 Brad Guzan: 5 Could do nothing about either Arsenal goal, and those aside rarely got an opportunity to show what he could do between the sticks. On the one occasion he did he was badly caught out by an Ozil cross and was lucky Giroud did not score. 2/24 Alan Hutton: 6 Simply incapable of dealing with the searing pace and varied angles of Walcott’s running, as was made crystal clear when he dragged down Walcott for a penalty inside the first ten minutes. Going forward his crossing was dangerous for Arsenal, but he remained weak defensively. 3/24 Jores Okore: 5 The centre-back is no lightweight but he was barged off the ball at will by Giroud. He looked comfortable bringing the ball forward but rarely convinced on the backfoot. 4/24 Joeleon Lescott: 5 With the exception of a couple of robust tackles this was hardly a memorably day for the 33-year-old. He particularly struggled when Arsenal players looked to run at him and could not deal with their movement in the final third. 5/24 Leandro Bacuna: 5 Really struggled as Arsenal often doubled or tripled up on the right. Jordan Ayew’s defensive contribution was negligible, leaving a player on the wrong flank without a hope. 6/24 Jordan Veretout: 4 The Frenchman is unquestionably a talented player, but he seemingly cannot energise himself for a relegation battle. The lackadaisical way he wondered back to defence as Arsenal sprinted through on goal was damningly typical of a poor display. 7/24 Carlos Sanchez: 5 Another Villa player to go walkabout when Arsenal were at their most dangerous, Sanchez appeared to be a constant source of free-kicks for the Gunners. His approach seemed to be that if he couldn’t beat them he might at least foul them. 8/24 Idrissa Geye: 6 Gave a better showing than many of his colleagues, though that is saying very little indeed. He was full of energetic running, getting from box-to-box often, but lacks the authority to make a commanding impact on the game. 9/24 Jordan Ayew: 5 A passenger for much of the game, offering little defensively in the first half and not much more when Villa went on the offensive in the second period. Surely with Carles Gil on the bench his days in the side ought to be numbered. 10/24 Rudy Gestede: 5 His 'aerial challenges won' stat will doubtless be impressive, but claiming a header makes next to no difference if you can’t do anything with it. Arsenal dealt with him well, letting him win the header but ensuring they won the knock-down. 11/24 Scott Sinclair: 6 Perhaps the only Villa player on the pitch who, when he picked up the ball, you thought might do something to worry Arsenal. As such it was a shame he rarely saw the ball, because his direct running and eye for goal looked dangerous. 12/24 Petr Cech: 6 A few nervy moments marred his clean sheet, as he flapped at a cross in the first half and shanked a clearance in the second. In truth he rarely faced many difficult shots from inside the area, but he was never found wanting when Villa went for goal. 13/24 Hector Bellerin: 6 An ideal opportunity for the youngster to rediscover his form, which he did with gusto. Ayew left him with little to worry about in defence, allowing him to bomb on in the first period. As Villa came forward in the second period he held his own. 14/24 Per Mertesacker: 6 Commanding and composed yet again from the German giant, who was unflappable when Villa fired cross after cross into the area. 15/24 Laurent Koscielny: 7 Lived up to Rio Ferdinand’s praise again, and may just be the league’s best defender. If the ball comes near him he hurls himself at it, yet somehow he always seems to be in command of the situation. He particularly impressed when the Gunners found themselves on the backfoot. 16/24 Nacho Monreal: 6 More reliable play in defence from Monreal, though there were times when he must have wished for more protection in front of him. He tackled well and never looked like making a mistake, but he at times struggled to get close to Hutton on the overlap. 17/24 Aaron Ramsey: 8 Santi Cazorla’s 31st birthday would not have been a pleasant one. Aside from missing the game he saw Ramsey make a commanding case to remain at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield. He tackled, broke with pace, found decisive passes and did one thing Cazorla has failed to this year, scored. 18/24 Mathieu Flamini: 6 On good days like today it is the intangibles that make Flamini so impressive. The way he organised players in front of him to ensure Arsenal kept their shape was vital as the visitors looked to repel a Villa side eager to change the contest in the second period. 19/24 Joel Campbell: 6 His passing is still poor. His touch still doesn’t quite convince. And he is still caught offside too often. But who can help but be impressed by the way Campbell has grasped his opportunity when his Arsenal career was defined by more punchlines than knockout blows? This was another hard-working display from the Costa Rican, if lacking in his recent quality. 20/24 Mesut Ozil: 7 This will not go down as one of Ozil’s finest games this season, but that is more down to his consistent excellence than a poor display. Just the one assist and various brilliant passes for today though. 21/24 Theo Walcott: 6 Won the penalty to give Arsenal an early advantage in an industrious display from an unfamiliar left wing position. He still looks short of match fitness, and his lack of defensive cover is exposed on the flanks, but this was an improvement on Wednesday. 22/24 Olivier Giroud: 7 Another terrific performance by the forward, who suddenly oozes confidence in a way he has not even in past prolific spells. Against the physical pair of Lescott and Okore he embraced the battles, and came out on top often. 23/24 Kieran Gibbs: 6 His introduction just after the hour gave Arsenal the defensive solidity they were beginning to need. It was noticeable that with Gibbs on the pitch Hutton struggled to find crossing opportunities, negating a major Villa weapon. 24/24 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6 The last 10 minutes saw the winger give Villa’s tiring defenders plenty to think about, though on two occasions he spurned good chances to get on the goalsheet. 1/24 Brad Guzan: 5 Could do nothing about either Arsenal goal, and those aside rarely got an opportunity to show what he could do between the sticks. On the one occasion he did he was badly caught out by an Ozil cross and was lucky Giroud did not score. 2/24 Alan Hutton: 6 Simply incapable of dealing with the searing pace and varied angles of Walcott’s running, as was made crystal clear when he dragged down Walcott for a penalty inside the first ten minutes. Going forward his crossing was dangerous for Arsenal, but he remained weak defensively. 3/24 Jores Okore: 5 The centre-back is no lightweight but he was barged off the ball at will by Giroud. He looked comfortable bringing the ball forward but rarely convinced on the backfoot. 4/24 Joeleon Lescott: 5 With the exception of a couple of robust tackles this was hardly a memorably day for the 33-year-old. He particularly struggled when Arsenal players looked to run at him and could not deal with their movement in the final third. 5/24 Leandro Bacuna: 5 Really struggled as Arsenal often doubled or tripled up on the right. Jordan Ayew’s defensive contribution was negligible, leaving a player on the wrong flank without a hope. 6/24 Jordan Veretout: 4 The Frenchman is unquestionably a talented player, but he seemingly cannot energise himself for a relegation battle. The lackadaisical way he wondered back to defence as Arsenal sprinted through on goal was damningly typical of a poor display. 7/24 Carlos Sanchez: 5 Another Villa player to go walkabout when Arsenal were at their most dangerous, Sanchez appeared to be a constant source of free-kicks for the Gunners. His approach seemed to be that if he couldn’t beat them he might at least foul them. 8/24 Idrissa Geye: 6 Gave a better showing than many of his colleagues, though that is saying very little indeed. He was full of energetic running, getting from box-to-box often, but lacks the authority to make a commanding impact on the game. 9/24 Jordan Ayew: 5 A passenger for much of the game, offering little defensively in the first half and not much more when Villa went on the offensive in the second period. Surely with Carles Gil on the bench his days in the side ought to be numbered. 10/24 Rudy Gestede: 5 His 'aerial challenges won' stat will doubtless be impressive, but claiming a header makes next to no difference if you can’t do anything with it. Arsenal dealt with him well, letting him win the header but ensuring they won the knock-down. 11/24 Scott Sinclair: 6 Perhaps the only Villa player on the pitch who, when he picked up the ball, you thought might do something to worry Arsenal. As such it was a shame he rarely saw the ball, because his direct running and eye for goal looked dangerous. 12/24 Petr Cech: 6 A few nervy moments marred his clean sheet, as he flapped at a cross in the first half and shanked a clearance in the second. In truth he rarely faced many difficult shots from inside the area, but he was never found wanting when Villa went for goal. 13/24 Hector Bellerin: 6 An ideal opportunity for the youngster to rediscover his form, which he did with gusto. Ayew left him with little to worry about in defence, allowing him to bomb on in the first period. As Villa came forward in the second period he held his own. 14/24 Per Mertesacker: 6 Commanding and composed yet again from the German giant, who was unflappable when Villa fired cross after cross into the area. 15/24 Laurent Koscielny: 7 Lived up to Rio Ferdinand’s praise again, and may just be the league’s best defender. If the ball comes near him he hurls himself at it, yet somehow he always seems to be in command of the situation. He particularly impressed when the Gunners found themselves on the backfoot. 16/24 Nacho Monreal: 6 More reliable play in defence from Monreal, though there were times when he must have wished for more protection in front of him. He tackled well and never looked like making a mistake, but he at times struggled to get close to Hutton on the overlap. 17/24 Aaron Ramsey: 8 Santi Cazorla’s 31st birthday would not have been a pleasant one. Aside from missing the game he saw Ramsey make a commanding case to remain at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield. He tackled, broke with pace, found decisive passes and did one thing Cazorla has failed to this year, scored. 18/24 Mathieu Flamini: 6 On good days like today it is the intangibles that make Flamini so impressive. The way he organised players in front of him to ensure Arsenal kept their shape was vital as the visitors looked to repel a Villa side eager to change the contest in the second period. 19/24 Joel Campbell: 6 His passing is still poor. His touch still doesn’t quite convince. And he is still caught offside too often. But who can help but be impressed by the way Campbell has grasped his opportunity when his Arsenal career was defined by more punchlines than knockout blows? This was another hard-working display from the Costa Rican, if lacking in his recent quality. 20/24 Mesut Ozil: 7 This will not go down as one of Ozil’s finest games this season, but that is more down to his consistent excellence than a poor display. Just the one assist and various brilliant passes for today though. 21/24 Theo Walcott: 6 Won the penalty to give Arsenal an early advantage in an industrious display from an unfamiliar left wing position. He still looks short of match fitness, and his lack of defensive cover is exposed on the flanks, but this was an improvement on Wednesday. 22/24 Olivier Giroud: 7 Another terrific performance by the forward, who suddenly oozes confidence in a way he has not even in past prolific spells. Against the physical pair of Lescott and Okore he embraced the battles, and came out on top often. 23/24 Kieran Gibbs: 6 His introduction just after the hour gave Arsenal the defensive solidity they were beginning to need. It was noticeable that with Gibbs on the pitch Hutton struggled to find crossing opportunities, negating a major Villa weapon. 24/24 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6 The last 10 minutes saw the winger give Villa’s tiring defenders plenty to think about, though on two occasions he spurned good chances to get on the goalsheet.

"For the first month, in a leg brace, not being able to do anything, on a machine six hours a day, it was very difficult. But you have to try and see the positives. Luckily I had my family around me, my friends came down to London and I had my brothers. It was good to have people around me and have that support.

"You wake up in the morning and know you have double sessions in the gym it is hard but you have to see the positive side and I have learnt a lot more being injured on how to look after your body and prevent injuries. I have to see the positive side and hopefully when I come back, I will be flying."