The Gunners starlet was taken off in the 73rd minute of the 2-1 defeat against United, just moments after he played in Robin van Persie for Arsenal's equaliser. The decision was greeted by a chorus of boos from the 60,000 Emirates crowd, who were equally disgruntled with Wenger for opting to bring on the out-of-form Andrey Arshavin in his place. The Gunners boss reacted angrily to press questioning of his decision after the game, saying Oxlade-Chamberlain was physically tired having been ill in midweek.
'Oxlade-Chamberlain had started to fatigue,' said Wenger. 'He had stretched his calf and he was sick in the week. 'I've been a manager for 30 years and have made 50,000 substitutions. I do not have to justify every decision I make.' Skipper Van Persie also added in a statement on Facebook: 'Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had a calf injury. We did not know that but the boss did and brought Andrey Arshavin on.' However, claims around Oxlade-Chamberlain's substitution have now been clouded by former Southampton captain Lundekvam, who was commentating on the game for Norwegian television station TV2. The 38-year-old was asked to call the youngster to get an explanation of the incident, and later revealed the details of the conversation. Lundekvam claims the England under-21 told him he was fully fit, and feeling good, saying: 'He said, first and foremost, that he was super happy with his first match from the start, while he was pleased to have played well. 'I also got confirmation from Alex that he was neither tired or injured.' Early suggestion is that Oxlade-Chamberlain is feeling no after-effects of the United game, and should be available for the FA Cup clash against Aston Villa on Sunday.
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