Mikel Arteta is confident that Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice will be ready for the start of the season after a gruelling summer at Euro 2024.
Saka and Rice both started every game as England lost to Spain in last week’s Berlin final and were subsequently left out of Arsenal’s pre-season tour to the US.
Rice played the joint-most minutes of anyone at Euro 2024 and covered more ground than any other player.
Three Lions team-mate Saka, meanwhile, ranked sixth for minutes played and was the second-most fouled player at the tournament.
Asked if Rice and Saka will miss the start of the new Premier League season, Arsenal boss Arteta said: “I do not think so.
“Let’s see what condition they come back in. All of the messages I have got from them, they are really excited to come back and have a great season again. I do not expect anything else.
“There is a very well thought-out plan of integration, but we cannot expect them to go from sunbeds to training at 100 miles per hour.
“They need to be able to get up to speed. When they come back we will be working closely with them to follow the rhythm of the rest of the boys.
“When your mind is telling you to come back, then I think you need to follow your mind. They need some rest, they had a week as well before they started the Euros.
“We will manage them, but if they are willing that means that they want to, so let’s do it.”
England’s run to the final of Euro 2024 included a penalty shootout win over Switzerland in the last eight and Arteta has admitted that he was nervous watching it given Saka’s history.
Three years ago at the delayed Euro 2020, Saka missed the decisive penalty in the final at Wembley as Italy beat England to be crowned champions.
Saka has since bounced back from that disappointment, becoming Arsenal’s first-choice penalty-taker, and he fired home his spot-kick in England’s win over Switzerland.
“I was very nervous,” said Arteta. “It plays back in your mind from a few years ago and that moment but he showed a lot of guts and determination and composure to take it the way he did.
“His role is constantly growing and evolving. He is a super important player for Arsenal and one of the main players for the national team, and at his age that’s a really rare thing to see.”
