Arsenal have been hit with a double fresh injury blow during the international break.
Ben White is facing a spell on the sidelines after undergoing a minor knee procedure and Leandro Trossard was forced off while playing for Belgium.
White’s setback comes at a bad time for Gunners manager Mikel Arteta, who is already missing three senior defenders and is also sweating on the fitness of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice ahead of the visit of Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this weekend.
Having said that, there has been positive news with the return of captain Martin Odegaard. The midfielder impressed in his first start back against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and wasn’t selected by Norway for action.
So as Arteta prepares to be reunited with his international stars over the next few days, here’s a look at the latest Arsenal injuries...
Bukayo Saka
The winger was forced off in the 1-1 draw in the 81st minute to hand Arsenal a fresh injury scare having only recently returned to action after missing games against Bournemouth and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Speaking after the match, Arteta admitted he was concerned over Saka’s fitness and subsequently the Gunners no.7 was one of several players to withdraw from the England squad.
Now it's a waiting game to see whether the 23-year-old recovers in time for the return of Premier League football.
Potential return date: Unknown
Ben White
The defender had been playing through the pain in recent weeks and it was decided that the international break represented a good chance to resolve the issue.
A return date hasn't been confirmed for Ben White but there has been speculation that he could be out of action for around eight weeks. If so, he won't play again until early 2025.
Potential return date: 2025
Declan Rice
After missing the Champions League defeat to Inter Milan with a broken toe a few days earlier, Declan Rice emerged as a serious doubt to face Chelsea.
In a boost for Arsenal he was passed fit to start at Stamford Bridge, but only managed 70 minutes before he was brought off for Mikel Merino.
However, like Saka, Rice was assessed and a decision was made for him to withdraw from the England squad thus making him a doubt to face Nottingham Forest.
Potential return date: Unknown
Leandro Trossard
The midfielder was forced off while playing for Belgium against Israel on Sunday night with an apparent injury.
The true nature of the fitness concern was not initially clear, but seemingly serious enough that Trossard was unable to continue and substituted in the first half.
Potential return date: Unknown
Takehiro Tomiyasu
After an injury-hit start to the campaign, Takehiro Tomiyasu made his first appearance of the season before the October international break, featuring for six minutes off the bench against Southampton.
However, the Japan international suffered another injury during that brief cameo and has been out of action since.
The need for him to return to full fitness has increased in the wake of White's absence but a return date hasn't been confirmed as of yet.
“We don’t know that (how long he will be out for),” Arteta said last month.
“It doesn’t look like, hopefully, a long period but we have to see when he comes back how he reacts to the load and to the impact on the pitch as well."
Potential return date: Unknown
Riccardo Calafiori
Forced off during the 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk last month, Calafiori has subsequently missed Arsenal's last five games across all competitions against Liverpool, Preston, Newcastle, Inter Milan and Chelsea.
That said, the Italian is on course to return after the November international break after Arteta revealed his big-money summer signing would "be out for a few weeks”.
Fortunately for Arsenal, they have plenty of options to cover for Calafiori at left-back with Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko and youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Potential return date: Unknown
Kieran Tierney
The forgotten man at Arsenal has been sidelined since sustaining a hamstring injury at Euro 2024.
It remains to be seen how much of a role, if any, Tierney will have for the Gunners before the January transfer window opens but he is expected take part in first-team training fairly soon.
"I think he's quite close," Arteta revealed recently. "He's looking really good. I think he's over the period where he was still struggling, so he looks really sharp out there.
“He hasn't trained with the team yet but hopefully, he can do that in the next week or two."
Potential return date: Unknown
