Migraine behind Ljunberg absence

Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg missed Sweden’s friendly international with Ivory Coast after suffering a migraine, according to coach Lars Lagerback.

Ljungberg was forced to sit out the game, which Ivory Coast won 1-0 thanks to a Didier Drogba strike, after complaining of blurred vision during Sweden’s pre-game warm-up session.

”We had just warmed-up for five minutes when he told me about the first signals of migraine,” Lagerback told Swedish newspaper Expressen.

“Just a few minutes later he said: ‘Now I don’t see clearly’, and then we sent him back to the dressing room.”

Following the game, played in Le Mans, France, Ljungberg reportedly shrugged off the ill-effects of the migraine, and is expected to be available for Arsenal’s Premiership encounter with Newcastle on Saturday.