Arsenal face a number of injury challenges ahead of their clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with Mikel Arteta providing a mixed update on the status of several key players.
The major blow for Arsenal is the news that Ben White will be out for several months.
Initially, it had been reported he would only be out for 4-6 weeks. Arteta confirmed this during his pre-Forest press conference, explaining, “Ben is gonna be out for months. It’s been different kinds of struggles. It’s never been the same thing. It’s not been improving. It got to a point where we have to protect the player. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a few months.”
The defender had undergone a procedure to address a knee issue that had troubled him in recent weeks. When asked to clarify how long ‘a few months’ was, Arteta said he couldn’t but he didn’t expect it to be as long as six months.
In more positive news, Riccardo Calafiori is set to return after his knee injury sustained against Shakhtar Donetsk. Arteta confirmed that Calafiori trained today, and his rehabilitation has progressed well enough for him to be included in the squad to face Nottingham Forest.
Meanwhile, there is cautious optimism regarding Leandro Trossard. Arteta said, “Trossard seems to be OK. He trained this morning and is feeling good.” Trossard, who suffered severe bruising during Belgium’s recent match against Israel, was forced to withdraw early but appears to be making a quick recovery.
Updates on Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were similarly positive. Both players participated in their first training session back today after suffering injuries in the game against Chelsea. Arteta noted, “Bukayo and Declan had their first session today, very good.”
Declan Rice, who has been managing a broken toe since Arsenal’s encounter with Newcastle played through pain against Chelsea but was ultimately substituted as the injury worsened. Despite taking part in training, Arsenal are likely to wait until closer to kick-off to make a final decision on his participation.
On Kieran Tierney, Arteta revealed that although the defender has had a couple of sessions with the team, he is not yet ready for competitive action. Tierney has been recovering from a long-term hamstring injury that has kept him out since June. While he is now back in training, Arsenal are being cautious about his reintegration into the squad.
Takehiro Tomiyasu also remains on the sidelines, with Arteta noting, “Tomiyasu is going to be out for a period.” The Japan international, who had previously resumed training, is now facing another unspecified delay in returning. No follow up question was asked so it’s not clear if this is a fitness problem or another injury.