Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that he is hoping to turn Abou Diaby into a holding midfielder following his long battle with injuries.

Diaby made his latest return for the Gunners in the League Cup defeat to Southampton on Tuesday night, and it now appears that the Frenchman could be asked to do most of his work from a deeper position in the future.

"I try to transform him because he was injured and has the physical potential to win the challenges," Wenger told reporters. "To face the game will be easier for him than to play back to goal with the injuries he had.

"I try to develop him in a deeper role. I think he can do it, he can be very interesting, has all the attributes."

Diaby has made just 22 competitive appearances for Arsenal since the start of the 2011-12 season.