Leandro Trossard has once again overcome an injury scare to be fit for Arsenal’s next friendly, according to Mikel Arteta.
Fans of Arsenal’s January signing Leandro Trossard have had a rollercoaster week, with the Belgian suffering two injury scares in two games and scoring a goal in between.
Trossard was forced off early against FC Nurnberg in Germany, with Mikel Arteta admitting the forward was “struggling”.
But the problem turned out to be nothing serious. The 28-year-old joined the tour of the U.S., and he was back in the team against the MLS All-Stars.
It turned out to be a good game for Trossard, as he scored expertly in the first half. But once again, he was forced off early with a knock.
Thankfully, Arteta’s latest press conference revealed the good news that Trossard was back in training on Friday, and he’s fit for the friendly against Manchester United on Saturday.
This is potentially an important pre-season for Trossard, who is perhaps not in most people’s expected first-choice Arsenal lineups for this season despite starting in every friendly so far.
The former Brighton man played in a midfield role in all three games, but the expectation is that he could lose that spot to Kai Havertz once the summer signing is fully up to speed.
The longer Trossard can keep his place through pre-season, the better his chances of remaining in the side once the campaign gets underway.
But there should be plenty of minutes on offer either way. Trossard can play in midfield, he can play on the wing, and he can play up front, so he’ll get chances.
Trossard scored one goal and assisted 10 in his 22 Arsenal appearances (11 starts) in the second half of last season, having scored seven and assisted three in the first half of the campaign with Brighton.
You’d expect more goals in an Arsenal shirt this season, and the goal against the MLS All-Stars certainly underlined Trossard’s finishing ability.
It will be hard to keep him out if he can add goals to his strong creative numbers with the Gunners.