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Mikel Arteta has provided an injury update on Arsenal trio Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz. The manager has revealed that the Englishman and German could feature against Bournemouth this weekend, while the Norwegian is unavailable for selection.
Saka got injured in England's loss to Greece last week at Wembley. The Arsenal star was take off in the 51st minute as he was holding the back of his right leg and replaced by Noni Madueke.
Speaking to the media, Arteta admitted that Saka is back in training after returning from the England squad early. He is still unsure if the winger can feature this weekend and said:
“It’s not a serious injury. He has evolved really well. He’s done some things in the last two days. Obviously he wasn’t fit enough to play with the national team in the second game, but we are hopeful. We have a training session this afternoon. He did some bits yesterday, so let’s see if he can make it on time.”
When asked about Havertz, who stayed back after pulling out of the German squad, Arteta stated that the former Chelsea star is facing a late fitness test.
Notably, Havertz picked up a knee issue before the international break and pulled out of the Germany squad despite playing the full match against Southampton. The injury is reported to be 'not serious' and the forward could feature this weekend.
Mikel Arteta said:
“He had a few issues and we’ve been dealing with that. He’s been absolutely brilliant. He has very good communication with the national team, with the manager and he understood the situation. Obviously we had to modify everything that we could do here and again, if he trains well today he has a good chance to be fit and available.”
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard got injured in the September international break when Norway locked horns with Austria. He picked up an ankle injury but a fracture was ruled out. Odegaard will not be available this weekend when the Gunners host Bournemouth.
Throwing light on Odegaard's injury, the manager added:
“He’s not fit for this game. Next week will be a different story. But in that later stage of rehab where he is at the moment, because he is already doing a lot of stuff, he needs to clear some markers, he needs to clear certain things. He needs to be comfortable, especially with the ball. Next week will be crucial to understand how close he is.”
Mikel Arteta added that he is hopeful that Odegaard will return to training before the November international break. The Arsenal star has been out since the September break and reports earlier this month suggested that he was set to be sidelined until December.
Mikel Arteta sweating on fitness of Arsenal trio
Mikel Arteta is sweating on the fitness of Ben White, Jurrien Timber, and Oleksandr Zinchenko ahead of Arsenal's clash with Bournemouth, scheduled on October 19. The manager stated that the trio are close to returning and will be facing late fitness tests.
Takehiro Tomiyasu is set to miss the match this weekend as he is yet to recover from injury. The defender needs time to get back to his full fitness and could be back in action soon.
Gabriel Martinelli is the other Arsenal star who is set to face a late fitness test this week. He arrived back from the national team squad on Thursday and is racing against time to make the Arsenal matchday squad.
