Arsenal ramped up their pre-season preparations with another hard-working session ahead of their fixture against Orlando City on Thursday morning.
The Gunners take on the MLS side in their fourth friendly of the summer as they look to continue their 100 per cent record ahead of the new Premier League campaign. They secured a 5-0 win over Ipswich Town in a behind-closed-doors game before beating Nurnberg 5-3 and Everton 2-0. The comfortable victory over the Toffees was arguably the most impressive performance, as Mikel Arteta's side swept aside their domestic counterparts.
Gabriel Jesus has scored three times in his first two matches and he looks like a promising addition as the Gunners try and improve on last season's fifth-place finish. Matt Turner started the win over the Toffees, while Marquinhos came off the bench against 2. Bundesliga side Nurnberg.
Fabio Viera, meanwhile, has not featured in pre-season due to injury, but he has returned to training. That was one of the things spotted from Arsenal's latest training session. So, with that in mind, here are four things we learned from their workout in the Florida heat.
Viera in training
There was some worry about the fitness of Viera after it was confirmed he would miss the game against Everton with a minor foot issue. However, the 22-year-old - a £32million summer signing from Porto - returned to training and looked sharp as he took part in some individual drills with and without the ball.
"He had a slight problem in his [foot] bone and hopefully he will start to train in the next week or so," Arteta said on Sunday. "We have Kieran with a slight problem, we have Emile [Smith Rowe] as well with a muscular niggle, [Takehiro] Tomiyasu as well and Ben [White]. The rest are fine but it’s a matter of days with those guys."
Chance to impress
Arteta's squad is beginning to look a lot stronger following Arsenal's four summer additions and Marquinhos is someone who will be hoping to impress in pre-season. The 19-year-old joined the Gunners from Sao Paulo in June and is competing with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Nicolas Pepe for first-team minutes.
Marquinhos has been working hard in the heat with his Arsenal teammates and appeared to be in a buoyant mood despite not featuring against Everton. He could be handed an opportunity when the North Londoners take on Orlando, despite being linked with a loan switch away from the club.
Pepe set for the exit door
Another player who has been linked with a move away from the club is Pepe; Sevilla, Leeds, Everton and Leicester have been mooted as potential destinations. The Ivorian winger has failed to impress since making the £72million switch from Lille back in 2019, scoring 27 goals 112 appearances.
However, Pepe continues to work hard, having played 45 minutes against Everton. He was spotted in training with the Gunners squad and will be hoping for more guarantees on minutes moving forward, should he stay put at the Emirates.
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Competitive action
Arsenal played some small-sided matches at the end of the session, with Arteta keen to get his squad fitter and sharper. It seems that there were three teams of eight and one team featured the likes of Benjamin White, Jesus and Pablo Mari.
The Gunners take on Orlando City on Thursday morning before rounding off their tour of the United States with a game against Chelsea in Florida next weekend. They will then return to North London to play Sevilla at the Emirates, and kick off the new Premier League season on August 5 with a trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace.
