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Arsenal have six players currently unavailable through injuries but five of those could be back this month with Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli as the first two returning stars
Mikel Arteta is likely hoping for some positive Arsenal injury news ahead of his side's Premier League clash against Sunderland this Saturday evening. The Gunners have been hit by several fitness blows already this season, but have still been able to rack up ten consecutive wins with clean sheets coming in nine of those.
Their latest triumph arrived earlier this week in the Czech Republic against Slavia Prague as a Bukayo Saka penalty and Mikel Merino brace saw them continue their 100 per cent winning start in the Champions League. The latter was filling in for Viktor Gyokeres up front after he suffered a muscle injury in last weekend's 2-0 win over Burnley.
Arteta provided a concerning update on his condition before the trip to Prague after confirming he would "definitely not be available" with the need for more "tests and scans to understand the extent of the injury".
The 27-year-old being available to face Sunderland in roughly 48 hours seems highly unlikely with that furthered by his omission from Sweden's squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Slovenia.
New national team head coach Graham Potter has also made a Gyokeres admission. "We need our best players and Viktor and Dejan [Kulusevski] are important for us," he said after announcing his first squad.
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"But we have the ones we have. We have to work with the players we have and create a team and the right environment. Then just work."
A return to action for the North London Derby against Tottenham after the two-week domestic pause is the hope, according to The Athletic. Their report has also claimed that Arsenal are equally hopeful that Gabriel Martinelli will be back as well.
The Brazilian winger has missed Arsenal's last three games in all competitions after picking up an injury in the late stages of the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. Elsewhere, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke are all recovering from knee injuries with returns to training, at the very least, later this month for all three seeming likely.
"I would say weeks, and some of them pretty soon, hopefully, if they keep evolving the way they are doing," Arteta recently revealed on the trio. "Difficult to put a game... We have an Int' break, and after that, I think we'll have some back. I don't know if it's going to be all of them, some of them, but we'll be quite close by then."
Gabriel Jesus is also in the final stages of his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury suffered back in January. The former Manchester City man could prove to be a unique attacking option for Arteta in the second half of the season.
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