Arsenal have again been rocked by an injury to Gabriel Jesus but can welcome two players as the new Premier League season draws near.
The Gunners have given themselves the best possible boost ahead of their curtain-raiser against Nottingham Forest by beating Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley last weekend.
Here is your latest update of Arsenal injuries and return dates...
Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus is out for “a few weeks”, as of last week, with a knee injury, according to Mikel Arteta.
The forward missed more than three months of last season after surgery and has now gone under the knife again in an attempt to fix the problem.
“He’s had some discomfort in his knee that has been causing some issues and they had to go in and resolve it,” Arteta said. “It’s not something major but he’s going to be out for a few weeks I think.”
Arsenal have not put any timeframe on Jesus’ return, but he is not expected back before the international break in the middle of September.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Zinchenko has been unable to feature in any pre-season games due to a calf injury but the versatile defender is nearing a return.
Arteta said last week that Zinchenko was “close”, adding: “I think he’s going to start training with the team and hopefully we will have him back very soon.”
Zinchenko subsequently made an 11-minute cameo in Sunday’s Game4Ukraine at Stamford Bridge and could be in contention to face Nottingham Forest on August 12.
Bukayo Saka
There were concerns over Saka’s fitness after he sat out the Emirates Cup win over Monaco last week though Arteta was quick to quell any rumours.
“He was fine, but after he wasn’t feeling great on the bench,” Arteta explained. “We didn’t want to use him. I think he had some sickness or some illness or something so we could not use him.”
Saka subsequently played 120 minutes as City were beaten at Wembley on Sunday.
Jorginho
Jorginho was absent from the matchday squad for the Community Shield due to a slight muscle issue.
Arsenal are yet to issue any further update, though Arteta will speak to the media on Friday.
Folarin Balogun
The striker has missed Arsenal last three games with a foot injury and was training away from the main group during the tour in Los Angeles.
Arteta said last month: “He had a little foot injury, and he hasn’t been training with us, and he wasn’t available; that was the reason.”
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny was at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening to watch his team-mates face Monaco, but the midfielder was not involved with the squad.
The Egyptian has been pictured in first-team training recently, as he continues his recovery from a knee injury that has kept him on the sidelines since January.
Unless he picks up a further issue, Elneny could be in contention for a return to the squad in the coming weeks.
Reiss Nelson
Nelson missed Arsenal’s USA tour due to a foot injury that he picked up during the club’s training camp in Germany.
The winger signed a new long-term contract at Arsenal over the summer, but he missed out on facing Monaco and there has been no further update on his injury situation with the new season fast approaching.
It was reported at the time that Nelson’s injury would only keep him out for a matter of weeks, which would raise the prospect of him returning in time to face Forest.
