Eight first-team Arsenal players returned to training at London Colney on Monday, as pre-season begins to get underway.
It’s been just over five weeks since the end of the Premier League season, so the first of Arsenal’s senior players have started to return to training.
Many of Arsenal’s first-team squad featured in international fixtures in June, so the numbers in training are currently very limited. But eight players could be spotted in pictures from Monday’s session at London Colney.
Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Ben White, Eddie Nketiah, and Rob Holding are all back in training, whilst Cedric Soares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Marquinhos also made their comebacks after their loan spells.
Trossard’s return is particularly good news, as the forward had to miss the June international break after undergoing a minor operation.
There was no clear timeframe given for the Belgian’s return, but it seems he isn’t set to miss any of the pre-season preparations.
Young left-back Lino Sousa also joined the first-team session on Monday, suggesting he could have a chance to be involved with the senior squad on tour later this month.
With Kieran Tierney going on international duty with Scotland in June and Oleksandr Zinchenko working on recovering from his injury, Sousa may have an opening to fill for a couple of weeks.
More players should continue to link up with Mikel Arteta and the squad over the coming days, as we’re now just nine days away from the first public pre-season friendly of Arsenal’s summer tour.
The Gunners face FC Nurnberg in Germany on Thursday, July 13th at 19:00 BST.
The Evening Standard report that players who were on international duty last month are due to arrive back in training on Saturday, and Arsenal will fly to Germany on Sunday.
The international players will be with the squad flying to Germany, but they’re reportedly less likely to feature in the first friendly match.
Arsenal’s Pre-Season Fixtures
- Thursday, July 13th, 19:00 – FC Nurnberg vs Arsenal
- Thursday, July 20th, 01:30 – MLS All-Stars vs Arsenal
- Saturday, July 22nd, 22:00 – Arsenal vs Manchester United
- Wednesday, July 26th, 03:30 (TBC) – Arsenal vs Barcelona
- Wednesday, August 2nd, 18:00 – Arsenal vs Monaco
- Sunday, August 6th, 16:00 – Arsenal vs Manchester City
Times in BST