Mikel Arteta had three of Arsenal’s main stars back in training on Monday, but four players remain sidelined through injury.
Arsenal held a public training session on Monday with key stars returning including Declan Rice (Image: PA)
Arsenal were given an update on their injury spree at Monday’s public training session. Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Magalhães were seen, but Bukayo Saka, Julian Timber, Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie were missing.
William Saliba, Noni Maduke and Martin Odegaard, who all made some comebacks at the weekend, also appeared on the London Colney lawn. Saliba replaced Gabriel in the FA Cup quarter-final loss to Southampton due to a knee problem, but it appears the Brazilian was able to overcome the problem and feature.
Arteta confirmed last week that Timber was in contention to return last weekend but was not selected for the squad. His continued absence suggests the injury he sustained before the international break against Everton still bothers him.
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Just a few days ago, Eze was forced to withdraw with a calf problem and is still recovering. Meanwhile, Hincapie was injured while playing for Ecuador, with Arteta recently confirming that the injury is serious.
Saka does not have any specific injuries, but he has been plagued by minor issues in recent months, with England manager Thomas Tuchel admitting that both Saka and Rice were clearly struggling with discomfort.
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On a positive note, the return of Trossard and Rice for the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting CP is a big boost. Before training began, all of Arsenal’s players lined up and clapped themselves on the back of the head to welcome the pair back.
Both players have been dealing with issues in recent weeks, making them two of a number of players to be withdrawn from international competition.
Martin Zvimendi was among the players who returned to north London early, but has since played for Arsenal and was present at Monday’s session.
Arteta is expected to provide further updates on these seven players, including how long the injured quartet will be out and how many minutes the three returning stars will be able to play.
Declan Rice returned to Arsenal training on Monday (Image: PA)
Rice is one of the players likely to be supervised in the coming weeks, with games against Bournemouth and Manchester City coming up alongside the Premier League second leg.
The Gunners manager provided an update on his condition late last week, which appeared to confirm suggestions that he was only playing at 70% 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.”
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