Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has spoken about the team’s latest injury issues from their clash with West Ham United, where several changes were required.
The Gunners aimed to close in on Premier League leaders Liverpool, who play later in the week against fellow title rivals Manchester City.
Arteta went into the tie with a few availability concerns, with Gabriel Magalhaes an injury doubt after a fresh issue against Sporting CP.
Meanwhile, there were hints that a few Arsenal players were doubts during the training sessions between games.
Mikel Arteta gives Arsenal injury update
Once team news time rolled around, it was revealed that Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino had injury issues, which came as a huge blow.
Meanwhile, there was a boost in the fact that Gabriel was involved in the starting lineup – his 41st consecutive match in the Premier League.
Speaking about the three injury issues, Arteta first gave an update on the duo who missed out when speaking to Sky Sports.
On Merino and Partey, the Arsenal boss said: “Unfortunately they both picked up an injury and the game came too early and they couldn’t be part of the squad.”
It suggests that the pair aren’t too far off being available, which could see them involved against Manchester United next week.
As for Gabriel, he added: “Gabriel is the good news that he managed to do the session yesterday, he felt much better, so he’s starting again.”
Arsenal will hope they can squeeze past their opposition without any further injury issues ahead of a huge few fixtures.
Arsenal midfield options without Partey and Merino
With a duo of Partey and Merino out of action, there will be some hope that they are able to return in time for the coming matches – especially against Manchester United.
The midfield ranks look particularly depleted without them, leaving just a few options at Arteta’s disposal in the weeks ahead.
- Declan Rice
- Jorginho
- Martin Odegaard
- Ethan Nwaneri
- Kai Havertz
- Leandro Trossard
Whether the pair will return in time for the upcoming games remains to be seen, but it’s clear that any more injuries would cause some serious damage.
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