1 hour ago
30
Arsenal are next in action against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday with some fresh and ongoing injury concerns impacting Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta was handed two big Arsenal injury concerns in his side's FA Cup fifth round victory away to Mansfield Town. Noni Madueke had put the Gunners in front before Ollie Evans equalised just after half-time, only for Eberechi Eze to grab the winner 15 minutes later.
Either side of Arsenal's two goals, Arteta was forced into two changes with Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard both picking up issues. The latter went down late in the first half after clutching the top of his leg, while Calafiori felt his hamstring after a clearance in the second period.
Arteta offered updates on the duo after the game, revealing that Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi are "carrying issues" and that the trio were all absent from the squad to help them recover. Martin Odegaard and William Saliba were also unavailable for the trip to Mansfield.
The first leg of their European last-16 tie arrives this coming Wednesday, with the clash at Emirates Stadium the following Tuesday after Arsenal host Everton in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
With all of that being said, football.london has taken a look at the latest updates on Arsenal's injured stars and when they could return.
Leandro Trossard
Trossard was taken off in the 38th minute of Arsenal's FA Cup triumph over Mansfield. He went down off the ball and following treatment, was replaced by Piero Hincapie.
What Arteta has said: "Both of them [Trossard and Calafiori], they had little niggles. They were not comfortable to continue. And I knew that this could be a possibility, especially in the conditions that we're playing today. So we had to take them off."
Possible return date: N/A.
Riccardo Calafiori
Calafiori was also withdrawn from the action at One Call Stadium after feeling his hamstring when striking the ball up the pitch.
What Arteta has said: "Both of them [Trossard and Calafiori], they had little niggles. They were not comfortable to continue. And I knew that this could be a possibility, especially in the conditions that we're playing today. So we had to take them off."
Possible return date: N/A.
Martin Odegaard
Odegaard has been absent for Arsenal's two games this week and last weekend's win over Chelsea. The Gunners captain has started just two games in the last five weeks, with a knee issue plaguing him since the draw to Brentford.
What Arteta has said: "Maybe [to play against Brighton], we will see how comfortable he is in certain actions."
Possible return date: Bayer Leverkusen (H) - Tuesday, March 24.
William Saliba
An ankle problem has seen Saliba miss games against Brighton and Mansfield but there is hope he can return to the starting XI in Germany next week.
What Arteta has said: "He turned his ankle against Chelsea. He managed to finish the game somehow, but he was too sore to play today.
“No, it’s the other [ankle]. We thought the same after the game. He wasn’t comfortable to finish the game and after that away he didn’t have a good feeling. So let’s see if he recovers quickly."
Possible return date: Bayer Leverkusen (A) - Wednesday, March 18.
Mikel Merino
Merino underwent surgery on a fractured foot earlier this year and it is set to keep him sidelined until the latter stages of this season.
What Arteta has said: "Well, I think the doctors were really happy the way it went. Yeah, now it starts. Obviously, it's a long process. You're talking about bone healing, so you need to be patient.
"You respect the timings, and I'm sure Mikel is going to do everything that he possibly can to speed up the process. We're talking about months, whether it's three, four or five, we don't know."
Possible return date: May.
English (US) ·