Mikel Arteta has revealed there are no fresh injury concerns facing his squad ahead of Arsenal's huge Premier League title clash against Manchester City. The Gunners are looking to extend their lead at the top of the table to six points with a win against the reigning champions.
Erling Haaland was involved in City's training session on Tuesday afternoon after Pep Guardiola admitted he didn't know whether the Premier League top scorer would be fit for the match. Haaland was taken off at half-time in City's win against Aston Villa at the weekend after suffering a suspected thigh problem.
Arteta also offered a fresh update on Gabriel Jesus' rehabilitation following his knee injury that he sustained whilst on international duty with Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar. With that being said, football.london takes a look at all the latest injury updates we have from the Emirates Stadium.
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Emile Smith Rowe
A groin issue has plagued Smith Rowe's season thus far with the 22-year-old limited to just five Premier League appearances so far this term.
The talented playmaker did return with substitute appearances against Tottenham and Oxford United but was missing for the FA Cup clash against Manchester City as football.london understands he is suffering from a thigh strain and was left out as a precaution.
This issue also ruled him out for the games against Everton and Brentford. The midfielder has returned to training in recent days, however, but it remains to be seen if he will be included in the matchday squad against City.
What Arteta has said: "The ones that were long-term like Emile, Reiss and Gabi Jesus are closer. They have started to do some activities and have been outside but they are not ready yet to contribute."
Expected return date: N/A
Gabriel Jesus
Having suffered medial ligament damage whilst playing for Brazil against Cameroon in the World Cup group stages, Jesus returned to London to undergo surgery on his knee, with an expectation that he will be out for at least another month of footballing action.
Speaking to former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at the Emirates Stadium last month, Jesus admitted he hopes to be back on the pitch in "four to five weeks". On Wednesday, February 1 the 25-year-old delivered a fresh update on his fitness status, posting a picture on Instagram of himself back on the training pitch.
He has since been seen running in a post on Instagram which he captioned: "After eight weeks," whilst his personal trainer Andre Cunha shared a video of him running, exciting fans.
Expected return date: February / March 2023.
What Arteta has said: "Doing really well he’s been doing quite a lot of work on the ball already and his rehab is going well," Arteta revealed about Jesus. "Unfortunately no [with regard to a timeframe]. Ask the doctor maybe he’ll give you one."
Reiss Nelson
The extent of Nelson's hamstring injury was unknown, with Arteta admitting after the friendly with Juventus in December that it could be problematic. A positive update recently emerged with Nelson posting on his Instagram story where he is seen running on the treadmill.
The 23-year-old has returned to training but missed the weekend's game. However, he could make a return to the Gunners squad.
What Arteta has said: "The ones that were long-term like Emile, Reiss and Gabi Jesus are closer. They have started to do some activities and have been outside but they are not ready yet to contribute."
Expected return date: Man City (H) - February 15
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny started in the FA Cup win over Oxford United and played the whole 90 minutes. However, the Egyptian was absent for Arteta's squad for the 2-0 win at Tottenham, with a knee issue picked up in training ahead of the clash being assessed. Additionally, there was no place on the bench to face Manchester United.
A club statement last week then confirmed that the former Basel man will be out for an extended period of time, although no timescale was given on his expected return. "Following an injury sustained in a recent training session, subsequent assessments have confirmed that Mohamed Elneny has a significant injury to his right knee," the update read.
"Mo has had successful surgery in London and will be ruled out for an extended period of time. A more detailed timescale will be established once the early stages of rehabilitation have been completed.
"Everyone at the club will be offering Mo all the support he needs and working hard with him so he can return to action as soon as possible."
Expected return date: N/A
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