Mikel Arteta has confirmed William Saliba will miss Arsenal's clash with Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Saliba has not played since suffering a back injury in the Gunners' penalty shoot-out defeat against Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 earlier this month.
The Frenchman was absent from Arsenal training on Thursday, and Arteta has revealed that the defender is not yet ready to return.
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"He is progressing, unfortunately he still has some discomfort in his back," Arteta said in his pre-match press conference. "He's not going to be fit for this game and we're trying to do everything to feel better. But not yet.
Arteta added: "I am very hopeful [that he will return before the end of the season] and he is as well. Back injuries are a bit tricky and how they evolve with the load that you put in certain area.
"Let's push it and see how he copes with that. He's so willing to be back in the team."
Thomas Partey was an unused substitute in Ghana's draw against Angola on Monday, and Chris Hughton said at the time that he had a small injury issue.
However, the midfielder trained with Arsenal yesterday, along with Kieran Tierney, who was replaced during Scotland's 2-0 victory over Spain on Tuesday.
And Arteta has revealed that his side have no fresh injury concerns, and said: "The rest of them are all good."
Gabriel Jesus marked his return from a three-month injury layoff with three substitute appearances prior to the international break. The Brazilian international has had the two-week break to help with his recovery, and Arteta says that he is close to returning to full fitness.
"He’s very close to that. In the last 10 days he’s made a big step forward. You can see he’s looser and not thinking about it. He’s creating that chaos in training. He’s in a really good place now," Arteta said.
Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee); Eddie Nketiah (ankle) and Mohamed Elneny (knee) are all still unavailable for the Gunners.
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