Arsenal return to action in less than a week, hosting Leeds United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, April 1.
The north Londoners currently sit eight points clear of second-placed Manchester City, although Pep Guardiola's side do have a game in hand on their title rivals due to their involvement in the FA Cup. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta will be desperate for his players to avoid injury during the second week of the international break, with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny already ruled out for the remainder of the season due to respective injuries.
William Saliba is also currently sidelined with a lower-back issue but there is yet to be an update on the Frenchman's fitness as Arteta faces an anxious wait to find out if the 22-year-old will be fit to face Leeds. With that said, football.london has rounded up the latest injury news ahead of Arsenal's return to action next weekend.
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Bukayo Saka
Despite there being no games for Arsenal over the next 10 days, Bukayo Saka was in action for England against Italy in a Euro 2024 qualifier. The Gunners winger played 85 minutes before being replaced by Reece James.
Saka was fouled a numerous occasions by Italy, but seemed to get through the contest unscathed, minus a few potential bruises.
Expected return date: Leeds (H) April 1
William Saliba
William Saliba limped off in Arsenal's exit from the Europa League last week against Sporting CP, suffering an issue with his back that forced the youngster to be substituted. The Frenchman then missed the clash with Crystal Palace at the weekend as concerns mount over his availability.
The France Football Federation officially announced that Saliba would be replaced from the men's senior international team after the injury, having been called up for the squad earlier in the week. The defender will now undergo further scans before the scale and severity of the injury are determined, hopeful of making an appearance before the end of the season.
What Arteta has said: "We hope Willy [Saliba] is going to be better news. Again We have to wait to tomorrow to get a better picture."
Expected return date: Unknown
Eddie Nketiah
During Gabriel Jesus' absence, Nketiah rose to the challenge and fired Arsenal to a number of pivotal wins. However, the Gunners will now be without the Hale End Graduate until after the international break due to an ankle injury, football.london understands.
Nketiah, who sees his contract at the Emirates Stadium expire in 2027, has featured 33 times for Arsenal this season, directly contributing towards 11 goals — four of which came in wins over West Ham, Brighton and Manchester United during the congested schedule over New Years.
What Nketiah has said: Nketiah has offered a positive update on his recovery after posting a message on social media ahead of the clash against the Eagles. The Hale End graduate said: “Grafting! *muscle emoji* #SoonBack.”
Nketiah added another image to his Instagram story with the caption: “Rehab crew, monster mentality *brain emoji* *finger point emoji*."
What Arteta has said: "He’s getting better. He’s still in the boot. He’s still a few weeks away and 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."
Expected return date: Late March/Early April
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Takehiro Tomiyasu was substituted inside the first 10 minutes of the Gunners' clash against Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium. The Japanese defender had overstretched for a tackle early in the match and had to receive treatment on the pitch shortly afterwards and was unable to continue.
The Japan international wasn't in the squad to face Crystal Palace at the weekend, with it later confirmed he had undergone knee surgery. Now the medical staff have learned the extent of the defender's injury.
An official club statement reads: "Tomi has had successful surgery in London on Tuesday and will be ruled out for the remainder of this season. Everyone at the club will now be working hard with Tomi, so he can join pre-season training ahead of next season."
What Arteta has said: "We don’t know. The doctor is assessing. We have one assessment and I think they need to have another assessment tomorrow. It’s not looking good. Tomi is not one to exaggerate things. He was really concerned straight away and we are concerned."
Expected return date: June
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny started in the FA Cup win over Oxford United and played the whole 90 minutes. However, the Egyptian was absent for Arteta's squad for the 2-0 win at Tottenham, with a knee issue picked up in training ahead of the clash being assessed. Additionally, there was no place on the bench to face Manchester United.
A club statement last month then confirmed that the former Basel man will be out for an extended period of time, although no timescale was given on his expected return. Elneny has since penned a new deal at Arsenal as he closes in on a return.
Expected return date: N/A
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