Mikel Arteta has given an update on Arsenal’s growing injury list ahead of their final Premier League game of the season against Wolves on Sunday.
Having gone through most of the season with just a couple of injuries at once, Arsenal have started to rack them up towards the end of the campaign.
Ahead of Sunday’s game against Wolves, Oleksandr Zinchenko, William Saliba, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Mohamed Elneny all remain absent, with Mikel Arteta confirming as much.
But they may not be the only ones to miss the game, with Arteta adding that there are other issues in the squad.
“We’ve had some issues this week – well, in the last few weeks – as you’ve noticed, some players were unable to play and to participate in the games, with Reiss (Nelson),” Arteta said.
“We have a little issue with Bukayo (Saka), which has been going on, and with Leo (Trossard).”
With Nelson, the hope is that he’s overcome the illness that kept him out of action against Nottingham Forest last weekend. He’s been back in training during the week.
As for Saka, reports suggest the winger has an ankle/Achilles problem that he’s been carrying for a while. Evidently, it hasn’t been enough to stop him playing, but that could change.
Looking at the longer-term injury news, Arteta also gave updates on Saliba and Tomiyasu.
“I think he’s evolving in the right way,” Arteta said of Saliba. “In the last few weeks, [his progress] has been much more positive than in the previous two months.
“We wanted to protect him; it’s an injury that needs some care and attention. We’ve been pretty conservative to give him the best possible chance to have a good pre-season and go again in the next season.”
As for Tomiyasu, Arteta added: “I think he’s really close. Hopefully, he will be around for pre-season like Willy [Saliba].
“They have been working so hard and it’s been a really difficult year for him with some of the issues he’s had.
“He’s a tremendous person and a top professional and we just want him to be available because when he’s available he’s really helpful for the team.”
If true, the news on Tomiyasu would be a boost, because reports in recent days have suggested he could be out until much later in the year.
Even now, The Telegraph report that despite Arteta’s comments, there are fears that the defender could be out for much longer than just the next month or two.
In terms of this weekend, it looks like a few youth players might be getting call-ups to the squad to face Wolves.
Assuming Nelson has recovered, he may also be in for his first Premier League start of the season, amid the news about his contract situation.