Mikel Arteta gets welcome Arsenal injury boost after Bukayo Saka and William Saliba updates

Arsenal return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with Mikel Arteta likely hopeful for some injury boosts to arrive before then.

Bukayo Saka, Christian Norgaard, Kai Havertz and Ben White were all absent from the squad that lost to Liverpool at Anfield in their final clash before the September international break with Arteta then losing William Saliba just a few minutes into the game.

Unsurprisingly, none of the five went on international duty, with recovery at London Colney their priority. Martin Odegaard was one Arsenal star that has represented his nation over the last few days despite suffering an impact injury to his shoulder two weekends ago.

The issues for Saka and Havertz, meanwhile, are muscular and much more severe with the latter required to undergo an operation. As for Saka, it soon became clear his hamstring problem was not as bad as first feared though Arteta's updates have still suggested he will be absent for a period.

"Bukayo, while he was running with the ball, carrying the ball, wrestling with the defender, he felt something in his hamstring," he admitted in a press conference. "So let's see.

"I think it's the other one. It's not the same one as the previous injury.

"He felt something while he was sprinting. That's never a good sign." Ahead of the Liverpool clash when asked about Saka, the Arsenal head coach said: "Yeah, we're getting better- but out for a few weeks, unfortunately."

Saka being out of action did allow him to spend his 24th birthday surrounded by loved ones with the Arsenal winger posting an update on what he has been doing to his 7.4million Instagram followers.

As for Saliba, French outlet L'Equipe are reporting he will be side-lined for the next three to four weeks due to a twisted ankle. That timeframe will in turn see him miss important Premier League games against Manchester City and Newcastle United.

At the very least, it looks as though the international break has been kind to Arteta, with no other players picking up new injuries. Instead, Arsenal stars have been shining with Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice on the scoresheet for the Netherlands and England, respectively.

That duo were outdone by Mikel Merino on Sunday evening, though, as the midfielder channelled his inner striker, which has already been showcased for the Gunners, and he scored a superb hat-trick during Spain's 6-0 World Cup qualification win over Turkey.

Leandro Trossard was also in action on that same evening as he made his first competitive start of the season in Belgium's victory over Kazakhstan by the same score-line.

The 30-year-old was unable to mark it with a goal contribution and he was brought off in the 63rd minute, but it's likely he was just happy to get back out there.

With Saka and Havertz unavailable, Trossard could have a big role to play over the coming weeks and that could start very soon with Arsenal's first Champions League fixture this season on the horizon.

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