Arsenal prepare to once again welcome a host of World Cup stars to a phased return as they face decisions regarding the fitness of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were monitored by England over fitness issues during the World Cup (Image: MB Media/Getty Images)
Arsenal are preparing to bring back some of their World Cup stars but face decisions about how best to manage Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.
Some of the Gunners’ players have returned to form, but the majority of their big hitters played in this summer’s tournament. These players are entitled to at least three weeks off after participating in activities for their country.
England stalwart Rice has been suffering from hamstring nerve pain for more than six months. He continued to suffer from poor health during the World Cup, and was sent off at halftime in the quarterfinal match against Norway.
Saka was hobbled for much of the tournament by Thomas Tuchel, but he insisted he was still playing through the pain barrier after his Achilles injury. The winger himself insisted he was fit and healthy and wanted to play more, but Arsenal will now evaluate him and his colleagues as they prepare for the season.
According to the Evening Standard, Kai Havertz is expected to return within the next few days, but the versatile forward has been training with his former club Bayer Leverkusen this week in preparation.
Piero Hincapie and Victor Gökeres also took three weeks off after the World Cup and should be back next week. Brazilian duo Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli are also expected to return early next week.
Arsenal face Girona in Spain on August 1, and Arteta will have some of his World Cup players back, but the fixture may come too soon for players like Martin Odegaard. In the next 11 days, they will face Real Betis, Borussia Dortmund and Como.
Kai Havertz is in good form at Bayer Leverkusen as he prepares for his return (Image: Getty Images)
Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke were part of the England squad but were never regulars. That means they will be fresher players than some of the returning players.
Norway’s loss to England was on July 11th, so Odegaard will be able to train again in the week starting August 3rd. Spanish duo David Raya and Martin Zvimendi are celebrating their country’s victory, but little football is being played.
Mikel Merino proved he can be a big hit off the bench with late game-winning goals against Portugal and Belgium, but his impactful role has limited his minutes, which will help in pre-season.
Mikel Merino was a star player despite starting on the bench, but was not used much by the Spanish national team (Image: Getty Images)
Ethan Nwaneri, Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira are back for the champions after being out on loan last season, while teenage sensation Max Daumann is among the young players in the main squad. New reserve goalkeeper Ilan Meslier has joined from Leeds.
Julian Timber, who missed the World Cup due to injury, has returned to group training but is not yet fully back in action. Arsenal’s first game of the summer will be a Community Shield match against Manchester City on August 16th.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
