Arsenal are preparing to face Sunderland in the Premier League, but have suffered an early injury scare.
For all of the squad depth available to Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager has had no luck on the injury front this season.
It’s why Arsenal were active on deadline day to replace Mikel Merino, who could miss the rest of the season.
Following the blow of Merino’s injury, the Gunners have three additional concerns, as a trio of key players missed training ahead of facing Sunderland.
Journalist Sam Blitz reported that Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber were missing from Arsenal’s open training session.
Saka has been carrying a niggle, as has Odegaard, but Timber’s absence is a mystery.
Who are your picks to replace Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka vs Sunderland?
The trio MISSED training 😳
Mikel Arteta’s replacements for Sunderland are clear
Though the news is a blow, it’s not all doom and gloom, as Arteta has the means to rotate his squad without his key players being sorely missed.
For Saka and Odegaard, the replacements are clear, as Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze are on hand to cover.
At right-back, Ben White can be called upon to replace Timber, who has been playing a lot of football recently.
Though the trio’s absence from training doesn’t rule them out for the fixture, Arteta should be cautious with their workload, given that he has the squad to allow for additional recovery time.
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