Mikel Arteta has delivered the latest Arsenal team news ahead of Thursday's Europa League decider against FC Zurich.
Prior to the Spaniard addressing the media in his pre-match press conference, he was handed a major injury boost with Oleksandr Zinchenko taking part in a training session at London Colney. The Ukraine international has been out of action since the 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last month with a calf problem.
He was joined by Bukayo Saka - who shook off an ankle/foot issue that forced him off after 27 minutes against Nottingham Forest last weekend - and Mohamed Elneny who has only recently made his return to training following two months on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
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The fact that all three trained would suggest they are in contention to face Zurich, but with Arteta revealing that they are all at different stages with regard to their respective fitness, it's almost certain that he will manage their game time very carefully if they are to feature.
"They are in different stages, obviously [Mohamed Elneny] had a long-term injury but he has recovered in a really good way. He has been training with us for a week or two now," the Spaniard told reporters. "[Oleksandr Zinchenko] is very recent and he’s trained just two training sessions.
"Bukayo [Saka] has missed one or two and trained today." Arteta then replied "yeah" when asked if the England international could be available for selection against the Switzerland outfit if needed.
Of the trio, Saka is perhaps the most likely to start as it turns out the knock that he suffered in the 5-0 win over Forest wasn't too serious. Although, with Sunday's game against Chelsea in mind, a decision could be taken to rest the 21-year-old and there are plenty of candidates to replace him.
Summer signing Fabio Vieira can operate out wide, as he did against PSV last week, whilst fellow new recruit Marquinhos has already caught the eye against Zurich this season, scoring and claiming an assist on his first competitive appearance for the club on matchday one.
Gabriel Jesus is another option having operated as a right-winger under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, but Reiss Nelson appears favourite to get the nod if Saka doesn't feature on Thursday after making the most of a rare opportunity with a brace and assist against Forest.
As for Elneny and Zinchenko, their involvement - if named in the matchday squad - may depend on how the game is going. If Arsenal are in control then Arteta may look to use the opportunity to build up their match sharpness ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge around 60 hours later.
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