Invincible and 108-goal icon to join Arsenal on USA pre-season tour, they will play useful roles

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Arsenal are set to travel to the USA for their pre-season tour in the coming days, where they will step up their preparations for the upcoming campaign.

Mikel Arteta will be missing the Arsenal players who reached the final of Euro 2024, but will have a lot of his squad with him as his side face Premier League opposition in the United States.

Arteta may give chances to academy players, with Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ayden Heaven now expected to make the trip.

Arsenal will also have two former players with them, in ambassadorial roles as the club seeks to take advantage of the commercial opportunities that come with a pre-season tour.

Gilberto Silva and Theo Walcott to join Arsenal pre-season tour

The Athletic have revealed that Gilberto Silva and Theo Walcott will accompany the Arsenal squad on their USA tour in ambassadorial roles.

Gilberto is an Invincibles legend, with the World Cup winner forming a midfield pairing with Patrick Vieira the last time Arsenal won the Premier League title under Arsene Wenger.

Walcott made 397 appearances for Arsenal over the space of 11 years, scoring 108 goals, and now works as a pundit on Sky Sports.

Whilst they will be used in commercial and ambassadorial roles, having two vastly experienced Arsenal icons with the squad could be of huge benefit for Arsenal.

Gilberto Silva and Theo Walcott can assist Arsenal squad in pre-season

Gilberto and Walcott both went through countless pre-season tours between them, and for the younger players in particular, having the pair with them could be of great use in the coming weeks.

Jurrien Timber is continuing his return to action after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, a problem Walcott suffered himself in 2014, and the former winger could be of great use in this regard.

Nwaneri is a top prospect within the academy, and having a legendary midfielder in Gilberto around could also be of some benefit for his development as he stakes a claim for more first-team action.