Injury-ravaged Diaby on the verge of comeback with Marseille
PARIS (Reuters) - Following an 18-month injury layoff, former France international Abou Diaby is ready to play first-team football again with Olympique de Marseille. The midfielder last played high level football in September 2014 in a League Cup game with his former club Arsenal. Before that, he had only managed 17 minutes since March 2013. "All the lights are green, I am ready to play," Diaby, who played in a reserve game last Saturday with Marseille, told a news conference on Wednesday ahead of Friday's Ligue 1 game against Stade Rennais. Diaby, who sustained no less than 42 injuries during his 2006-2015 stint at Arsenal, joined OM as a free agent last summer but has yet to play with the French club's first team. "I went through a period during which I had to treat a lot of injuries," he explained. "It's done, I have never been closer to a comeback. I've had no new injuries (since joining Marseille)." (Reporting by Julien Pretot, editing by Pritha Sarkar; Editing by XXXX)
