Mikel Arteta could be without two of his most important players for Arsenal's clash against Manchester City on Wednesday evening.
William Saliba has missed the entirety of April after being subbed off with a back injury against Sporting CP in the Europa League. The Gunners were hopeful he would feature again this season, but Arteta's latest update on his condition saw the majority of that optimism diminish.
Arsenal's Premier League title hopes have also taken a hit after the Gunners dropped points to Southampton at Emirates Stadium on Friday evening. Arteta also suffered a fresh fitness blow before the game which could affect his thoughts ahead of the Etihad Stadium clash.
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With that said, football.london has rounded up the latest injury news from north London ahead of a huge clash against Manchester City.
Granit Xhaka
Midfield star Granit Xhaka was missing from the starting line-up for the Gunners and his absence could be felt in the final third. The Swiss international was unavailable due to illness and it remains to be seen whether he will be available once again for the next match.
What Arteta has said: "This morning unfortunately Granit [Xhaka] wasn’t feeling well so we had to get him out of the squad."
Expected return date: Man City (A) - Wednesday, April 26
William Saliba
Saliba limped off in Arsenal's exit from the Europa League against Sporting CP, suffering an issue with his back that forced the youngster to be substituted. The defender has missed the last five games and is a doubt for the clash with Manchester City in midweek.
What Arteta has said: "Regarding William [Saliba], we still have to wait a little bit more. He is not progressing as quick as we hoped. It’s a bit delicate and we want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and the risk that we will take and at the moment that’s not possible to do."
"I don’t know [if it's season ending], it’s a bit early to do [predictions]. Probably next week we are going to have more certainty. There is some evolution, he is doing more activity, but he is not there yet to start to throw him on the pitch at the level that the sessions demand to compete in this league."
Expected return date: Unknown
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Takehiro Tomiyasu was substituted inside the first ten 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, 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 read: "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 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: Unknown
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