Arsenal suffered their second defeat of the season as they lost 1-0 against Everton at Goodison Park. Mikel Arteta escaped the physical contest without any fresh injury concerns but there are still some key players missing from his squad.
Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Ben White were all taken off a various points of the match but none are expected to have fitness concerns. Arsenal remain top of the Premier League table but missed out on the opportunity to extend their lead to eight points as Manchester City could close the gap to just two points by the end of the week.
Brentford will not be an easy match but the Gunners remain favourites with the match being played at the Emirates Stadium. football.london has rounded up all the latest injury news that the Gunners have to deal with ahead of the clash against the Bees.
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Reiss Nelson
The extent of Nelson's hamstring injury was unknown, with Arteta admitting after the friendly with Juventus in December that it could be problematic. A positive update recently emerged with Nelson posting on his Instagram story where he is seen running on the treadmill.
However, perhaps even bigger than that, the youngster was pictured back in full training on Thursday, which could prove to be a huge boost to the squad.
What Arteta has said: "We don't know the extent of the injury. The fact that he had to leave the pitch straight away is not good news, especially with someone like Reiss who is really powerful and fast. Let's see what will happen. We know what we have to do and that doesn't change the plans [for the transfer window]."
Expected return date: Available for Brentford (H) - February 11
Emile Smith Rowe
Smith Rowe has been plagued with injury worries throughout this season so far, struggling to play a part in the first-team through the opening stages of the campaign. The Hale End academy graduate has made a return to action since the World Cup break, but was missing for the clash against Manchester City as football.london understands he is suffering from a thigh strain and was left out as a precaution.
Expected return date: N/A
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny started in the FA Cup win over Oxford United and played the whole 90 minutes. However, the Egyptian was not included in Arteta's squad for the win at Tottenham, with the Gunners assessing a knee issue picked up in training ahead of the clash, with no place on the bench to face Manchester United.
A club statement on Tuesday afternoon 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. "Following an injury sustained in a recent training session, subsequent assessments have confirmed that Mohamed Elneny has a significant injury to his right knee," the update read.
"Mo has had successful surgery in London and will be ruled out for an extended period of time. A more detailed timescale will be established once the early stages of rehabilitation have been completed.
"Everyone at the club will be offering Mo all the support he needs and working hard with him so he can return to action as soon as possible."
What Arteta has said: "I don’t think he will be [available]," Arteta added. "He had some issues with his knee that we are assessing at the moment and we will have to see how he evolves in the next couple of days.
"There are concerns, especially [because he] is a player who never complains about anything. But let’s see."
Expected return date: N/A
Gabriel Jesus
Jesus suffered medial ligament damage whilst playing for Brazil against Cameroon in the World Cup group stages. The 25-year-old later returned to London to undergo surgery on his knee, with an expectation that he will be out for at least another month of footballing action.
Speaking to former UFC Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at the Emirates Stadium last month, Jesus admitted he hopes to be back on the pitch in "four to five weeks". On Wednesday, the 25-year-old delivered a fresh update on his fitness status, posting a picture on Instagram of himself back on the training pitch.
Expected return date: February / March 2023.
What Arteta has said: "He’s progressing really well, he’s working really hard, he’s in the right place in terms of the time that we set for him, but he’s still a bit far.
"I’d like to see him very quickly but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. We’re gonna have to be patient with that one. But let’s see. It’s a complicated surgery, in any surgery, there are always a lot of things were you have to be cautious He’s a player that’s going to push to be really fast on the pitch."
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