Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne

Zinchenko spotted, youngsters get stuck in and training debut as Arsenal prepare for Lyon clash

Arsenal have got straight to work after touching down in Dubai for a warm-weather training camp as well as taking part in the Dubai Super Cup against Lyon and AC Milan.

The 27-man squad, named by manager Mikel Arteta, escaped the freezing cold temperatures of north London on Sunday and have spent the first day in their new surroundings by enjoying a gym session as well as doing some ball work outside on the grass at the Al Nasr Leisure Land Stadium.

And on Monday, images from the training session emerged as Arteta and his coaching staff put most, not all, of the players through their paces as preparations for the game against Lyon - and a possible reunion with ex-Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette - are underway.

READ MORE: Gabriel Jesus return date, Arsenal in Dubai, Flo Balogun recall, Mykhaylo Mudryk acceleration

Below is what football.london spotted from the first session in Dubai.

New training gear debut

Last week Arsenal released a brand new training range with the description via the club's official website stating: "The new sustainable way to train like a pro. Discover the highest performance with the lowest impact."

And the cream training shirt with blue shorts made its debut in Dubai with the likes of captain Martin Odegaard, Eddie Nketiah, Mohamed Elneny, Gabriel Magalhaes, Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira, Cedric Soares and Albert Sambi Lokonga all sporting the club's new threads.

Zinchenko spotted

Arsenal played Watford in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the weekend and the first-half team featured the senior players not in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. Furthermore, even those that played in international friendlies prior to the tournament such as Kieran Tierney, Odegaard, Vieira, Karl Hein and Elneny were involved.

However, Oleksandr Zinchenko didn't play a single minute and that's despite returning to training last Monday and not having any international commitments. Any fears that the versatile left-back may have been carrying a knock can be eased as he was spotted doing some gym work.

No Smith Rowe

Emile Smith Rowe did travel with the Arsenal squad to Dubai and the attacking midfielder has even been suggested as a possible centre-forward option whilst fans await an official medical update on Gabriel Jesus' knee injury which has ended his World Cup rather prematurely.

Not being pictured with the rest of the squad in the gym or outside on the pitches may suggest that the 22-year-old is working separately from the group as he is most likely very short of fitness having been sidelined since the end of September after undergoing groin surgery.

Youngsters get stuck in

Due to the World Cup call-ups, Arteta has had to draft in as many as 13 academy players to fill in the gaps in the squad. Therefore, there is a big opportunity for James Hillson, Hubert Graczyk, Reuell Walters, Lino Sousa, Zane Monlouis, Taylor Foran, Myles Lewis Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Catalin Cirjan, Matt Smith, Charles Sagoe Jr, Amario Cozier-Duberry and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji to impress.

Sousa and Nwaneri, in particular, have done exactly that by getting stuck in during the training session. The former was spotted competing with Gabriel Magalhaes for possession, whilst the latter was able to keep Lokonga at arm's length as he turned away from danger with the ball at his feet.

READ NEXT:

Gabriel Jesus best and worst case injury scenario revealed with Arsenal set to make announcement

Full Arsenal squad revealed for Dubai training camp as Smith Rowe returns, 13 youngsters named

Cristiano Ronaldo could solve Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus injury problem amid Edu January decision

Edu spotted with Stan Kroenke making Arsenal January transfer decision amid Gabriel Jesus injury

Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: Latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.