Arsenal are set for a key injury boost as they monitor Thomas Partey.
The midfielder is one of a few first-team players recently visiting the treatment room ahead of facing Leeds, having picked up an issue while away with Ghana. However, he is confident of a quick return to action.
But Arsenal also have worries over William Saliba, who limped off in the Europa League and is being continually monitored.
Eddie Nketiah is another with a question mark over his fitness while Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny contend with longer-term injuries.
Here are the latest updates on Arsenal injuries and return dates...
Thomas Partey
Arsenal are facing fresh Thomas Partey fitness concerns after the midfielder was an unused substitute during Ghana's African Cup of Nations qualifier against Angola on Monday.
However, Standard Sport understand he is confident of being fit to face Leeds and he trained with the squad on Thursday.
Ghana boss Chris Hughton revealed after the game that Partey was struggling with “a small injury issue”, throwing his participation against Leeds on the weekend into doubt.
In his post-match interview, Hughton said: “Thomas has some small issues, a small injury issue and we felt it was too big of a risk to start him. The strategy defensively was that Angola has some very good technical players, especially in the attacking areas. So we knew that defensively we would have to be good and we would have to be solid.”
In a bid to ensure Partey avoids injury during the international break, Arsenal sent club physio Simon Murphy to Ghana with the midfielder.
William Saliba
Saliba was another early casualty after Sporting CP, picking up a back injury inside 20 minutes and subsequently missing Arsenal’s win over Crystal Palace and having to withdraw from France’s Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Standard Sport understand the big worry is whether playing Saliba will aggravate the injury with his participation against Leeds in severe doubt. He missed Thursday’s workout.
Arteta is hoping to at least have him back by the end of the season.
He said: “Back injuries are a bit tricky, how they evolve with the load that you put as well in certain areas. But, he is very positive about it, the medical staff are positive about it.”
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Tomiyasu picked up a knee problem during the opening stages of Arsenal’s Europa League exit to Sporting, being forced off after stretching for the ball. The right-back was pictured leaving the Emirates Stadium in a knee brace and on crutches.
After being assessed, Tomiyasu was ruled out for the rest of the season having required surgery.
An Arsenal statement read: “Following his substitution during last Thursday’s Europa League match, subsequent assessments have confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu sustained a significant injury to his right knee.
“Tomi has had successful surgery in London on Tuesday and will be ruled out for the remainder of this season.”
Eddie Nketiah
An ankle injury has kept Nketiah out since the beginning of March, with his last start coming in the dramatic comeback win over Aston Villa.
The return of Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard has helped ease Arsenal’s shortage in forward areas, which is just as well as Arteta confirmed Nketiah has a “big challenge” to return from the injury.
Speaking before the international break, the Arsenal boss revealed the striker was still wearing a protective boot, with his return to fitness certainly not imminent.
“He’s getting better,” Arteta said. “He’s still in the boot and still a few weeks away. We need to be patient.
“It was a nasty injury and he has a big challenge ahead of him. Thank God it could have been worse. So he’s not in a bad place.”
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny underwent knee surgery in January after picking up a significant injury in training, and the club confirmed afterward that the Egyptian midfielder would miss an “extended period of time”.
A more exact timeframe for his return has not yet been given, but Elneny is not expected to return before the end of the season. Arteta said: “Mo has had successful surgery and will be ruled out for an extended period of time. A more detailed timescale will be established once the early stages of rehab have been completed.”
