Arsenal injuries: Fitness updates and return dates after October international break
- Arsenal injury updates after the October international break
- Bukayo Saka missed the victory against Man City and didn't link up with England
- More updates on William Saliba and Thomas Partey
Arsenal will return to Premier League action after the October international break with a trip to London rivals Chelsea on Saturday.
Star forward Bukayo Saka did not link up with the England squad for their victories over Australia and Italy due to injury and Gunners manager Mikel Arteta is also sweating over the fitness status of a number of other first-team stars ahead of their clash with the Blues.
The October internationals saw members of Arsenal's squad jet all over the world with fans praying for a full bill of health once domestic duties return.
Here's the current situation with injuries and fitness concerns at the Emirates.
Bukayo Saka
- Injury: Hamstring
- Return date: Chelsea (A) - 21/10/2023
Bukayo Saka's consistent availability and knack for avoiding injuries has drawn huge praise over the past few years, his performances helping turn Arsenal back into Premier League title contenders.
However, his overloaded schedule has finally seen the England winger come down with a foot problem which ruled him out of the Gunners' seismic 1-0 win over Manchester City before the international break.
Arteta has previously given sceptical updates on Saka before including him in his starting XI. It proved one mind game too many when Saka went down in the Champions League defeat at Lens and even resulted in the English FA making their own medical checks on the 22-year-old despite Arteta revealing he had "not trained for a single session" and was "not available to play football at the moment".
William Saliba
- Injury: Toe
- Return date: Chelsea (A) - 21/10/2023
Key defender William Saliba was excellent in the success over Man City before the international break kicked in, but he missed out on playing for France against the Netherlands and Scotland with a toe problem.
The injury has been described as 'chronic' and came when Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps was already without a number of centre-backs, including Jules Kounde and Dayot Upamecano.
The Gunners remain optimistic Saliba will be fit for the trip to Stamford Bridge, where he should rekindle his defensive partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.
Leandro Trossard
- Injury: Hamstring
- Return date: Chelsea (A) - 21/10/2023
Leandro Trossard's injury against Man City could have been seriously worrying had Gabriel Martinelli not made a quicker than expected return from his own knock.
The Belgium international came down with a hamstring problem and had to be replaced at half-time, with his Brazilian replacement netting the deflected winner at the Emirates. Trossard subsequently withdrew from national team duty to recover with Arsenal.
Jurrien Timber
- Injury: Knee
- Return date: Early to mid 2024
Summer signing Jurrien Timber was handed a cruel injury blow back in August when Arsenal confirmed the Dutchman had damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, forcing him out for a prolonged period.
He's off crutches and walking around freely, but getting the defender back to full fitness and ready for top level football again will still take months rather than weeks.
Thomas Partey
- Injury: Groin
- Return date: Chelsea (A) - 21/10/2023
Midfielder Thomas Partey only returned to first-team action as a late substitute in the win over Man City before playing for Ghana on international duty.
The former Atletico Madrid utility man had struggled with a groin problem which saw him miss six games and fans were put on alert when he was substituted at half-time in his country's friendly defeat to Mexico.
However, Ghana manager Chris Hughton insisted Partey's limited involvement and workload had been pre-planned to ensure he wouldn't suffer a setback.
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