Arsenal prepare to face Everton on Sunday as they return to Premier League action, following a clash against FC Zurich in midweek as they opened their Europa League account for the season.
The Gunners were without four first team players for that trip to Switzerland on Thursday and could well experience the same fate for Sunday’s clash with Everton, while Mikel Arteta will be hoping that no other players will be added to that injury list ahead of this weekend.
Here is all you need to know about the current state of play at the Emirates Stadium and the expected return dates for those on the sidelines.
Emile Smith Rowe
Emile Smith Rowe is the latest midfielder to pick up an injury and was ruled out of Thursday’s Europa League tie as a result, despite featuring against Manchester United at Old Trafford just four days before.
The 22-year-old came off the bench to feature as a second half substitute in that 3-1 defeat but felt some discomfort in an unspecified area that he has been struggling with for a while, and having missed out in midweek, is now also a doubt for Sunday’s tie with Everton.
Speaking on Wednesday, Arteta said: "He felt discomfort in an area that [he’s been dealing with] now for a few weeks. He wasn’t comfortable after the game and he hasn’t trained in the last few days, so he’s out of the squad."
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Thomas Partey
Thomas Partey has been ruled out of Arsenal ’s last four games after picking up a recurring thigh problem following the 3-0 victory over Bournemouth on August 20, despite only being initially left out of the following game against Fulham for precautionary measures.
However, even though he has continued to miss out in order to prevent any further aggravation, it has now been revealed that Partey has an outside chance of making the squad to face Everton this weekend after returning to training this week.
On September 2, Arteta said: "With Thomas, hopefully we are talking weeks or even shorter than that I hope. We have tried to manage. A lot has happened since he joined and we are trying to find the best possible way to find the reason why that happens, but unfortunately, the body and mind are two different groups so sometimes to understand that you can’t put your finger on a single thing to try to prevent something happening.”
Reiss Nelson
Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson remains sidelined with a thigh injury which he picked up prior to the 4-2 defeat of Leicester City on August 13, and is not expected to return to action until the start of October at the earliest.
However, it has since been revealed by the player himself that he is already back running again, posting on his Instagram story the week before last that he’d had his “first day on [the] pitch”, as he works towards regaining full fitness over the coming weeks.
On August 12, Arteta said: “He felt something in training. We scanned it, and the doctor came with some bad news. It’s a muscular injury, and hopefully, he will be back soon.”
Mohamed Elneny
Mohamed Elneny came in as Partey’s replacement for the 2-1 victory over Fulham on August 27, before picking up a long term injury of his own that has ruled him out of action ever since.
Elneny played the full 90 minutes of that win against the Cottagers, but it was revealed afterwards that he had suffered a hamstring strain during the contest in north London, with it later being described as a ‘significant’ injury. He is now expected to be sidelined for a substantial period of time and will miss Sunday’s clash with Everton.
On September 2, Arteta said: "With Mo, it’s probably a little bit easier and we are talking months."
