Arsenal received mixed injury news after Monday’s open training session. Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Magalhães were all in attendance, but Bukayo Saka, Julian Timber, Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie were notable absentees.
William Saliba, Noni Maduke and Martin Odegaard, who all returned in some capacity at the weekend, were also on the pitch at London Colney. Saliba appeared in place of Gabriel in the FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Southampton and appears to have shaken off a sore knee.
Arteta confirmed last week that Timber was in line to return last weekend, but he did not include him in the squad. His continued absence shows that the injury he sustained before the international match against Everton continues to plague him.
A few days earlier, Eze was forced to withdraw from the match with a calf injury and is still recovering. Hincapie, meanwhile, was injured on international duty with Ecuador, and Arteta recently admitted it was a concern.
Saka does not have any specific injuries, but he has been plagued by troubling issues in recent months, with England manager Thomas Tuchel admitting that both Saka and Rice were visibly struggling.
On a more positive note for the Gunners, the availability of Trossard and Rice for the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting CP will be a huge boost. Before training began, the pair were welcomed by their Arsenal team-mates, who patted their heads and congratulated them.
Both players have been plagued by troublesome issues in recent weeks, which have led to several players being withdrawn from international competition.
Martin Zvimendi also returned to north London earlier than planned, but has since featured for Arsenal and took part in Monday’s session.
Arteta is expected to provide further updates on these seven players at his evening press conference.
Rice is one of the players likely to be carefully managed in the coming weeks, with Bournemouth and Manchester City looming in the second leg of the Premier League.
The Gunners manager provided an assessment of his condition late last week and appeared to confirm suggestions that he was operating at just 70 per cent fitness.
He said: “Yes, he was phenomenal because the fact that it had been going on for a while and the fact that he was able to perform in that way and contribute to the team on a consistent basis.”
“He talks about how much he wants to play for us and how much he wants to win. It’s great to see that.”
