Oleksandr Zinchenko is currently absent for Arsenal with muscle tightness, but he’s hoping to be back fit for the return of competitive club football.

Whilst most of the Arsenal players not involved in the World Cup have taken part in club friendlies against Watford and Lyon over the last few days, Oleksandr Zinchenko sat out of both matches completely.

Zinchenko has been spotted doing gym work with the squad in Dubai, but he hasn’t been taking part in full training.

The defender wasn’t even named among the substitutes for the Lyon game, despite sitting on the bench with the other substitutes in the stadium.

Connor Humm reports that Zinchenko had some muscle tightness, keeping him out of action. But the good news is that he’s now training with the squad again and closing in on full fitness.

On top of that, Zinchenko is reportedly expected to be ready for West Ham United on December 26th, when club football returns.

Kieran Tierney put in a good performance against Lyon on Thursday, as well as providing an assist in his appearance against Watford, so Arsenal won’t be sweating too much on Zinchenko’s availability. They know they have a capable alternative.

But it would certainly be a boost to the team and the squad to have the summer signing available as soon as possible.