Arsenal stars Emile Smith Rowe, Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and new signing Fabio Vieira are all facing an uphill battle to break into Mikel Arteta's team.
The Gunners have enjoyed a successful pre-season, winning 6-0 against Sevilla in their final game, as they prepare for the upcoming Premier League season opener against Crystal Palace. Arsenal have been without a number of star players that were vital in Arteta's side last term, as well as new signing Vieira, who is recovering from a foot injury picked up whilst on Portugal under-21 duty.
Tierney and Tomiyasu suffered injuries towards the back end of last season, with the former facing a setback in his recovery after featuring in the Gunners' first pre-season game against Nurnberg. Smith Rowe and the defensive duo of Tierney and Tomiyasu all took part in first team training earlier this week, handing Arteta a boost ahead of the game against Palace, though all four players may find it difficult to break into the starting line-up.
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The Arsenal boss offered an update on the injured players in his squad following the Gunners' 6-0 thrashing of Sevilla on Saturday. Arteta said: "I think that most of them will be, they’ll have to go through what they need to this week and then hopefully we’ll have them available. They are lacking minutes but we’ll have to build that up like any other injury that we get during the season."
The Spaniard's comments suggest injured players in the squad will need to settle for substitute appearances at the start of the season, but given the Gunners' impressive form in pre-season, it may be an even harder task for the likes of Smith Rowe, Tierney, Tomiyasu and Vieira to break into the starting line-up.
The arrivals of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have added competition in key areas in Arteta's squad, particularly for Tierney and Smith Rowe. Both former Manchester City stars have settled into life in north London quickly and gelled well within the squad, with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli all looking impressive behind the Brazilian striker.
The Gunners are yet to concede when Zinchenko has started in defence alongside William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White, with the latter filling in for Tomiyasu at right-back. There is no doubt the current players recovering from injury will be pleased to see the squad performing well on the pitch, but there will be a little bit of frustration creeping in should they not be given the opportunity in the first team once fully fit.
Smith Rowe may be the most concerned after being handed a bumper new contract last year and the coveted No. 10 shirt, with many expecting the Englishman to establish himself as a key man for Arteta, similar to how Saka has. Arteta may have found his ideal line-up heading into August as Arsenal look to start the Premier League season strongly, with a consistent line-up potentially aiding the players in getting results.
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