Mikel Arteta hits back after two new players join Arsenal's growing injury list

Mikel Arteta was asked about Arsenal's growing injury list ahead of Champions League clash with Club Brugge

Mikel Arteta has hit back at claims that his Arsenal players are “overtrained” after two new injuries hit the Arsenal squad.

Leandro Trossard has suffered a reoccurrence of the injury which saw him come off against Bayern Munich, while Max Dowman sustained an ankle injury in a behind-closed-doors match at the weekend.

As a result Gabriel Jesus has now been registered for the Champions League squad in the youngster’s place and has joined the team ahead of the clash with Club Brugge on Wednesday night.

“We were expecting him to be training with us by the end of December, but Gabi has been pushing every single day,” Arteta said. “He kept telling everybody I'm going to be earlier, earlier, earlier, and he has done it.

“So thanks to his work and all the work that the medical staff have done with him throughout these months and we had the possibility to make a swap there.”

Jesus has been missing since the third round FA Cup defeat to Manchester United last season, and in that time, the Gunners have suffered a collection of further injuries, particularly since the start of the current campaign.

Arteta fielded his sixth different back four in the defeat to Aston Villa. Another clear sign of the shortness the Spaniard is dealing with in certain areas despite the big spend in the summer.

This has led to fierce theorising from supporters and critics that perhaps the team is being overtrained, leading to the increase in the volume of issues, a claim that Arteta outright denies.

“No, because we don't train,” Arteta explained. “I mean, today we've done 20 minutes, so surely it's not because we overtrained the players.”

Arteta further offered up explanation relating to a snowball effect in certain areas.

Currently, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Cristhian Mosquera are missing from the back line, while the aforementioned Jesus was joined by Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres in the treatment room at the same time this season.

“The fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more that's a consequence to that,” Arteta said. “It's a really dangerous circle that one, and on top of that we have some injuries that in terms of what happened in the past we are not having more injuries.

“The fact that we had some others that are long-term that they haven't been with us since the beginning of the season, but as well it's a test for the team, and so far we have reacted very, very well to that.”