Pires frustration at sitting out Gunners' glory bid

Arsenal winger Robert Pires has admitted his frustration at being sidelined as the club close in on the double, but remains philosophical about the consequences of his serious knee injury.

Pires is confident he will be able to make a full recovery from last week’s surgery on damaged cruciate ligaments in his left knee, with a return to action predicted in about six months’ time.

In the meantime, he will be forced to miss not only Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea but also the end of the Premiership campaign and then the World Cup.

‘‘Of course I am frustrated to miss the end of the season because it has been so tough, so exciting and now the end is close,’’ revealed the French international.

‘‘I cannot be there now but I am sure my friends are going to finish the job.’’

Given that the Football Writers’ Association player of the year has done so much to take Arsenal to the brink of success, he could still be excused for feeling bitter at the prospect of missing the climax.

However, he told the Evening Standard: ‘‘Yes, I am disappointed and, yes, I feel frustrated about what happened.

‘‘But there are so many things more important in the world than a knee injury.

‘‘I was a world champion, I won Euro 2000 and I was looking forward to really important games with Arsenal and with France in the World Cup.

‘‘Now I will miss that, but that is life. I have my two legs, my two arms and I am in good health.

‘‘Everything is okay so the problem I have now is not really so important. I will recover, there is no question in my mind about that.’’

Pires is likely to be only a television viewer when Arsenal take on Chelsea in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, as well as when France face Senegal in the opening game of the World Cup finals.

However, he has no doubts that, in time, he will be able to recapture the sparkling form which set the Premiership alight this season.

‘‘I am very confident that I will come back just as strong from the operation,’’ he insisted.

‘‘I know that this injury is the worst for a footballer. But now everybody is recovering from this type of injury and I have every faith in the specialists I have seen.

‘‘It didn’t take this injury for me to realise how important football is to me. I have never taken that for granted. Each day in training I know how lucky I am.’’