Mikel Arteta has hinted that Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz could return from injury for Arsenal’s Premier League match against Chelsea on Sunday.
The Gunners have been short of strikers in recent weeks, with midfielder Mikel Merino drafted in, but Arteta has given a positive update in his pre-match press conference.
Gyokeres has missed the last four Arsenal games with a hamstring injury, while Havertz has been on the sidelines with a knee injury sustained in the first game of the season in August. Arsenal have fared well without the two forwards with their 3-1 win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday one of the best results of the season, but Arteta would be delighted to welcome them back.
“We have another day tomorrow, so let’s see how everybody has come on,” he said on Friday. “Clear, not yet, but they are getting closer and closer. So, we are very positive with both of them – and let’s see.”
The Bayern win was tainted by an injury to Leandro Trossard, who was forced off in the first half. Asked for an update on the versatile Belgian attacker, Arteta said: “Yeah, with Leo, there is another test today, we’ll have to see how he’s feeling, and it doesn’t look like much, so we still have a few hours, and we’ll have to wait and see.”
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Asked if he could play at Stamford Bridge, Arteta added: “There is a potential chance, yeah.”
Arteta also revealed that Gabriel Jesus’ long-awaited return from an ACL injury is getting closer after the Brazilian striker took part in a behind-closed-doors friendly this week.
“Yeah, it did happen,” Arteta said. “So Gabi participated, Ethan [Nwaneri] as well, because he wanted some minutes, so we took that opportunity. It was for the players that needed a bit of exposure and competition to provide that to them and it was very positive.
He added on Jesus: “We have to see. Obviously, he has been out 11 months and you need that progression. You need to see how his body, that knee reacts and what else does he need. The players that we have available as well, it has to make sense to have the right balance in the squad. The good thing is that he is very, very close at the moment.”
Martin Odegaard and Noni Madueke made their returns from injuries in the Bayern game, but centre-back Gabriel Magalahaes is still some way off playing again for Arsenal after picking up a thigh problem while playing for Brazil in the international break.
“Yeah not yet, I think he’s evolving really, really well,” Arteta said. “We have to wait for that scan a little bit longer to be more precise in terms of the timings. But I’m quite confident that, especially the way Gabi takes every injury and the way he’s going to push everybody, that it’s not going to be that long.”
Asked if Gabriel might return before the end of the year, he replied: “I don’t know. We have to wait and see.”