Mikel Arteta provided updates on the fitness of key Arsenal players Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Ben White as the team gears up to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Bukayo Saka: Saka remains sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained against Leeds United, ruling him out of England’s international matches. Arteta said, “Bukayo’s out, still out, and he’s trying to get back as quick as possible, but we need to respect that process. He’s evolving really well, with very specific work at the moment, and the moment we increase that load, let’s see how he reacts.”
William Saliba and Ben White: More positive news for Saliba and White. Arteta confirmed, “Willy trained today, so we’ll have a decision to make whether we play him or not, very good news. Ben White as well, Ben’s OK.”
Long-Term Absentees:
Kai Havertz: Havertz, who underwent knee surgery earlier this season, is progressing well. “He’s looking really good, he’s walking freely,” Arteta noted. “He’s starting to load the knee and to do some bits. I think we’re taking it from weeks to months. Knowing Kai, I cannot give you any timescale because I know what he’s going to try to do.” Arteta praised the medical team’s decision to proceed with surgery.
Gabriel Jesus: Jesus, recovering from a major knee injury sustained in January, was left out of Arsenal’s Champions League squad due to his lengthy recovery timeline. Arteta explained, “He had major surgery that was going to take many, many months… we thought that he could be available between December and January, so we decided to make the call.” He added, “Hopefully we did it wrong and he comes back earlier.”
New Signing: Arteta confirmed that new signing Piero Hincapie is available for selection despite limited training time with the squad. “He’s trained only two days with us, he had a long travel with the national team… but overall, he’s available.”
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