Henry ruled out of FA Cup final

Henry had recently returned to action after a groin injury

Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has been ruled out of Saturday's FA Cup final with an Achilles tendon injury.

Henry returned to action after a groin strain in the 7-0 defeat of Everton and aggravated an old Achilles injury.

The 27-year-old missed the Gunners' 2-1 defeat against Birmingham on Sunday but the injury has failed to heal in time for Henry to face Manchester United.

However, Arsenal did receive some good news when Freddie Ljungberg declared himself fit for the 21 May clash.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger recently blamed Henry's international commitments for his niggling injuries.

"He is very important to us but the first thing is health and, if we feel there is a risk, then we will not take it," said Wenger in April.

"He could be out for up to four weeks, but the good thing is he will not be out for three months.

"His injury is a sign that he has pushed his body far, so it's more of an alert than a bad injury.

I got a bit out of breath in the first half but then I got going again Freddie Ljungberg on his return to action

"I think it's more that he has been over-used by the France national team between the seasons. At some stage, you have to slow down."

Midfielder Ljungberg returned from a hip injury in the 2-1 defeat against Birmingham, coming on as a substitute.

And the 28-year-old said: "I think I will be available and I definitely hope so. We will have to see how it reacts in training.

"It is still a bit swollen and it feels like a big bruise but it felt good in the game - I can play with it."

The Sweden international sustained the injury in the FA Cup semi-final victory over Blackburn.

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And he revealed that he had little preparation ahead of the game against Blues.

"To be honest I had only trained twice with the team before the game and it's important to play because you can get into the tempo, it is just not the same as in training," added Ljungberg.

"I got a bit out of breath in the first half but then I got going again. I did not want to overdo it so I came off after 65 or 70 minutes but overall it was fine."