Unai Emery Doesnt Know Injury That Ruled Nicolas Pepe Out of International Duty

​Arsenal boss Unai Emery has backed club-record signing Nicolas Pepe to be fit for Arsenal's Premier League game at Watford on Sunday, despite an injury ruling the Ivorian out over the international break.

Pepe, who joined the Gunners from Lille in a deal worth an eventual £72m in the summer, missed the Ivory Coast's recent friendlies against Tunisia and Benin.

Emery himself has admitted he's not exactly sure what the issue is, but remains confident that the forward will be fit enough for the trip to Vicarage Road.

He said, as quoted by The Mirror: ​​“We decided to keep him here with us and we were working with him to have him ready for Sunday and we think he will be.

“It is a small problem. Where is it? I don’t know exactly,” he added.

Despite not yet being able to find the net at his new club, the early impressions have shown that the ex-Lille man could be a pivotal part of this Arsenal side in the coming seasons.

However, the idea of slowly integrating Pepe into Arsenal's starting XI may have to be abandoned after the recent injury news concerning Alexandre Lacazette.

Since arriving from Ligue 1 in the summer, Pepe has made four Premier League appearances and registered his first Arsenal assist in the north London derby prior to the international break.