Wenger sure Vieira will start season

ARSENE WENGER has declared his confidence that Patrick Vieira should be fit to start the new season – having signed a new contract by then to secure his Arsenal future.

Vieira was due back at the training ground today along with Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord and Robert Pires, who were similarly allowed to rest while their team-mates took part in an Austrian pre-season tour.

The Arsenal skipper missed the end of last season due to a knee injury which he then aggravated at a concert, requiring him to have surgery over the summer.