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Emery urges calm over Koscielny fitness

Unai Emery does not expect Laurent Koscielny's latest fitness setback to be a major issue but knows Arsenal must use their captain wisely.

Koscielny pulled up during the warm-up before the Gunners' 3-0 win at Blackpool in the third round of the FA Cup, suffering from an apparent back complaint.

The former France centre-back missed his country's World Cup triumph due to a ruptured Achilles tendon sustained during Arsenal's Europa League semi-final loss to Atletico Madrid in May and only returned to action this month.

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A patched-up backline kept Blackpool out at Bloomfield Road – not always in convincing fashion – and, with Shkodran Mustafi, Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal also joining Rob Holding among the walking wounded, Emery believes it would be easy to push Koscielny too hard, too soon.