Arsenal are confident that Oleksandr Zinchenko should be fit in time for their return to Premier League football against West Ham on Boxing Day, football.london understands. The Ukraine international has missed both of Arsenal's pre-season friendlies against Watford and Lyon so far as he continues to deal with a muscle problem.
He was also absent when the rest of the squad trained at the Al-Maktoum Stadium in Dubai on Sunday. That group included the returning Ben White, Thomas Partey and Matt Turner after they were all eliminated from the World Cup in Qatar.
It is not thought that Zinchenko's injury is the same calf problem that saw him miss a month of football earlier this season. It is unclear if the 25-year-old could feature on Tuesday in Arsenal's friendly against AC Milan as he recovers, but it is thought that the problem is a minor one.
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Arsenal are relatively well covered at left-back in Dubai with Kieran Tierney having started Thursday's friendly win over Lyon. Youngster Lino Sousa also impressed during a cameo in the victory over Lyon with his highlight being a goal-saving tackle that preserved Karl Hein's clean sheet.
Mikel Arteta's options at left-back could also be bolstered by Takehiro Tomiyasu's return. The full-back could join up with the camp in Dubai after his Japan side were eliminated in the second round of the World Cup by Croatia. Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli could also join up with the group.
It is currently unclear when Aaron Ramsdale and Bukayo Saka will join up with the rest of the camp. William Saliba meanwhile is the only Arsenal player still at the World Cup.
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