Arsene Wenger says Olivier Giroud is not in Arsenal’s Champions League squad because the club did not expect him to return so soon.

Giroud was initially ruled out until January with the broken tibia he suffered against Everton - and the group stage ends on December 9 with a trip to Galatasaray.

"Giroud was supposed to be unavailable for the qualifying group stage so we took him off the list" Arsene Wenger

However the France striker made an early comeback on Saturday - scoring against Manchester United - and his speedy return caught everyone by surprise.

“Exactly [we presumed his injury would mean he wouldn’t be available],” Wenger said. “At the time, we bought Danny Welbeck and we had to put him on the list.

“Giroud was supposed to be unavailable for the qualifying group stage and we put him out. He is coming back early and that is good news, but of course he’s not on the list of the 25 selected players.”

Arsenal will be able to register up to three new eligible players if they progress to the last 16.

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