Abou Diaby lets out a wry smile. He is talking about nicknames. In France, he knows what they call him.

‘They say I’m “L’Homme de Verre”. It means that I’m made of glass,’ he explains. ‘It can be painful, on a psychological level. They don’t know how much I give every day of my life to try and recover. But hey, what can I do? This is my life story.’

Over the hour that follows at Marseille’s training ground, the former Arsenal midfielder details the profound ‘frustration’ of his life story.

Arsene Wenger thought he'd signed the new Patrick Vieira when he landed Abou Diaby

The French midfielder was a powerhouse in the mould of Gunners legend Vieira

When he left in 2015, British newspaper websites counted 42 injuries in nine years

Diaby, only 19 when he signed for Arsenal in 2006 from Auxerre, was supposed to be the heir to Patrick Vieira. With those powerful, gangly long legs and skilful guile, Arsene Wenger believed he had uncovered another midfield powerhouse that would drive Arsenal to greatness.

Instead, Diaby’s Arsenal career became synonymous with the treatment room. When he left in 2015, British newspaper websites counted 42 injuries in nine years.

He has played only seven games during the last three-and-a-bit seasons for Arsenal and Marseille and it is distressing to hear this calm and gentle giant, still only 30, admit that he would be thrilled to play ‘just 20 more games’ in his career.

‘A lot of things have been done over the last few years,’ Diaby begins. ‘Basically, it was big rehabilitation. I have worked a lot on the calf, on the scar tissue, on the knee problem, on the ankle problem . . . ’ Diaby starts laughing, pointing to different parts of his legs: ‘This could go on a while!’

He is more certain when it comes to diagnosing the moment that his career was for ever changed.

Diaby was only five months into his Arsenal career when he suffered serious ankle injury

Diaby was 19 and only five months into his Arsenal career when Dan Smith of Sunderland crashed into the side of his ankle with the force of a sledgehammer. It makes the cut on YouTube compilations of ‘football’s worst ever tackles’.

Wenger has since described it as an ‘assassin’s tackle’ and in the days after, he was so incensed that he called for legal action.

‘Of course it is the moment that killed everything,’ Diaby says. ‘That’s where it all came from. It gave me a big restriction on my ankle and I overcompensated with other parts of my body. Before that, I’d never had a muscular injury, my lifestyle was good.

‘But really, there is no resentment any more. I left it behind a long time ago. The only thing I wish is that it had happened later in my career. If it happened when I was 28, things might have been different. Between 19 and 27, I would have had time to progress, play every week and be the player I should have been.’

Fuming Wenger described Dan Smith's challenge on Diaby as an 'assassin’s tackle'

The complications of the shattered ankle seemed to go on and on. Four operations and over 20 muscular injuries followed as a result.

Diaby did find a sense of continuity for Arsenal between 2009 and 2013, reaching over 100 appearances for the club. But just as he turned 27, he suffered a cruciate knee injury in training.

He would make only two appearances in his final two seasons at Arsenal and for Diaby, the challenge became increasingly psychological.

‘Going into the training ground every day, it was killing me. When you spend all your time with the physio and you see your team-mates enjoying everything, it is very hard.

The Frenchman has revealed the injuries took a heavy toll on both his body and mind

‘I had to get out and do rehab elsewhere. I didn't feel comfortable being injured at the club all the time. The funny thing is that at Arsenal, when you are in the physio room at the training ground, you can actually see the first-team training sessions through the window. That made life even in tougher.

'I did rehab in France, Qatar a few times, I went to America. It was an escape and allowed me to be more focused on myself.

After a while, he stopped attending Arsenal games. ‘I couldn’t sit there every game in the stands and watch. I just wanted to play so much. Every time fans spoke to me, it was, “When are you back?”, “How long will it be?”.

Out on the grass, Diaby’s issues became of mind as well as body.

‘Over time, I had a bit of fear in my play. When I came back from the first big injury, I was fine.

Diaby has only played seven games in the last three-and-a-bit seasons

'I remember in one of my first training sessions, I was racing around, jumping into tackles and Lauren pulled me aside and said, “Calm down, Abou, you have just come back from a long-term injury. Take your time, be calm”. At some stage, when I had started to miss whole seasons and got older, the fear became greater.’

'The injuries can be psychological as well. You can be a bit scared on the field. It can be in your mind, thinking that the next injury is just around the corner and wondering how far you can push your body. Looking back, I think there were times that my body was good (when I was out).'

Diaby had conversations with sports psychologists at Arsenal but admits he might have benefited from further work with counsellors outside the club.

‘Maybe I should have done that more,’ he admits. ‘After the cruciate injury, at 27, I thought about retiring. It crossed my mind a few times. I won’t lie. The cruciate injury was from nothing, it just happened in training.

'I turned and it went. I had this initial reaction, upset and frustrated. I was thinking, “Yeah, that’s it — now, I quit”. But I went home, calmed down and set about recovering again.’

Diaby, 19 when he signed for Arsenal in 2006, was supposed to be the heir to Vieira

'I knew there's always somebody who's worse off. I have been fortunate. I remember seeing what happened to Fabrice Muamba. I remember seeing the injury suffered by Dean Ashton, a brilliant forward who retired at the age of 26. I always say thank you to God for the opportunities I have enjoyed.'

There is an extensive hinterland to Diaby’s character, nurtured by his faith. He is a devout Muslim and while living in Hampstead, he would attend the mosque every Friday.

'It helped me a lot, particularly navigating through bad moments. I’m a Muslim but we are all brothers, all human beings.’

'I saw the story about the Muslim lady on the beach in France recently. The world now is sick. We shouldn't stigmatise people for what they are. The real problem of society is not what a Muslim woman wears on the beach. There are real social problems, inequality and people struggling to get jobs but we start to stigmatise a group of people and it's wrong.'

After finally cutting the cord with Wenger in the summer of 2015, Diaby joined Marseille. After spending nine years at Arsenal, Diaby is better placed than most to explain the outlook for his old club and indeed Wenger.

'He is an incredible coach. He always pushes you to reflect on your game, he always wants you at your best. He gives you a lot of confidence. Sometimes he has a belief in you that you don't even have in your own self.

'Nowadays in football it is hard find people this loyal. It is a virtue but people want titles and I understand that. I get the perception at the moment because he has not won titles recently. Arsenal have always qualified for the Champions League. But, please, you must understand, the first one that wants to win is him. I spent nine years with him and when he loses, I know how he is. He hates losing. He hated it so much.

Diaby had conversations with sports psychologists after suffering cruciate injury

'There is a desire to win the title but it does seem that those "Arsenal" moments in February or March are very crucial. It's where you have to win. At that point, Arsenal lose points where they should be winning.'

So why does it happen? 'Honestly, it's hard to explain. Arsenal seem easier to beat (than Wenger's previous title-winning sides). It's happened a few times at that time of year. They couldn't carry through the victory process. The only thing they are missing is to win.

'The talent is incredible and really, the mentality is there. But everyone wants to win in the Premier League. At some stage, maybe, it is all about who wants to win the most - but it does not mean that those who come second or third don't want to win.

So how to nurture the winning feeling? 'Maybe that comes at some stage when you realise that to finish third or second is not good enough at the end of the day. People only remember the winners and that should give extra motivation.'

'As an ex-Arsenal player, as an Arsenal fan, I really want them to get a title. The club deserves it.'