Arsenal latest: Thierry Henry addresses player criticism as Mikel Arteta raises 'worry'

Arsenal have a busy schedule ahead as Thierry Henry addressed one player's recent form

Mikel Arteta will be eager to bounce back to winning form following the end of the international break.

Arsenal's most recent game came on March 22, when they endured a devastating 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.

With ample opportunity to reflect on the shortcomings at Wembley Stadium, Arteta will hope to prevent another cup exit in the Gunners' upcoming fixture - a trip to Southampton for the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday night.

After that, the north London side face Sporting CP in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, beginning their quarter-final tie on Portuguese soil. football.london now brings you two of the latest developments concerning the Premier League leaders.

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Noni Madueke 'worry'

Arteta has revealed Madueke's worries following his injury while on England duty last week. The winger sustained a knee problem during the first half of England's 1-1 draw with Uruguay and was forced to withdraw.

Madueke sparked greater concern when he was later spotted leaving Wembley in a knee brace. However, Arteta has now confirmed the injury is considerably less serious than the 24-year-old himself originally thought, stating that he will be sidelined for only a matter of days rather than being unavailable for the rest of the campaign, as some had initially suspected.

The Spaniard said: "It looked really bad. Noni was really worried, especially after what happened in his other knee a few weeks out and he was out for six weeks [earlier this season]. But no, it’s nowhere near that injury. That was really good news."

Henry defends Zubimendi

Thierry Henry has leapt to the defence of Martin Zubimendi following a recent wave of criticism directed at the Arsenal midfielder. Having enjoyed a bright start to life in N5 at the start of this season, the £55.8million summer recruit has notably seen his form dip since the new year.

That was clear to see once again in the recent Carabao Cup final defeat, where Zubimendi looked shattered and was outplayed in midfield by fellow Spaniard Rodri. However, Henry believes criticism of the Spain international is premature, pointing to the fact that Rodri endured similar difficulties upon his arrival at City before claiming the Ballon d'Or.

The Arsenal hero told Betway: "People like to talk a lot about everything and everyone. First it was Bukayo Saka, then [Martin] Odegaard, then [Viktor] Gyokeres, Chelsea, Cole Palmer, the referee etc.

"You can always raise issues. Zubimendi just arrived in the league, and when Rodri first arrived I remember people weren't sure about him.

"People can say whatever they want, and rightly so. Everything is so analysed by everybody, including myself, but that's how it is at the top.

"If you're not at the top or the bottom, I'm not sure people will talk about you. I've been there, so embrace being criticised, and make sure that at the end you can show something that might prove people wrong."