Arsenal injury news and return dates: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Magalhaes were absent from training today as Arsenal’s first team began preparations for their crunch game against Manchester City.
All three are struggling to regain fitness ahead of Sunday’s heavyweight clash, with Saka, Arsenal’s top scorer this season, ruled out of England’s Euro 2024 warm-ups with an Achilles injury.
Pep Guardiola’s side have enjoyed excellent results under Mikel Arteta in recent years, but there are already signs of a turnaround this season. With so much at stake, it’s important to have as many key players as possible, and despite some serious concerns, Arteta still has a chance to get closer to full fitness.
City will miss Kyle Walker and John Stones. Kevin De Bruyne may also be absent, but Ederson and Manuel Akanji are available to play. This gives Arsenal perhaps their best chance of a result at the Etihad Stadium in recent memory.
Arsenal need to assess Bukayo Saka and Gabriel ahead of Sunday’s Premier League away game against Manchester City.
Central defender Gabriel Magalhaes also left the Brazil national team, along with Gabriel Martinelli. All three have until Friday to practice, two days before the title challenge.
However, Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu played in last week’s closed-door friendly against QPR as they regained fitness from injury, while Jurien Timbers is also back in full training.
With that in mind, here’s Arsenal’s injury news and return dates…
Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka withdrew from the England squad on Thursday after the high-profile Wembley friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
The Three Lions said in a statement that the striker “appeared at St George’s Park due to injury and was unable to take part in training.”
Saka has returned to Arsenal for treatment and is understood to be suffering from a minor muscle problem. The move away from England is only a “precautionary measure” but he was still not training with his teammates on Friday.
Gabriel Magalhaes
Gabriel quit the Brazil national team along with compatriot Martinelli last Monday and was replaced by Juventus player Gleeson Bremner.
Reports claim that the move is a precautionary measure rather than a result of serious concerns, suggesting that he has a leg problem.
It remains to be seen whether Gabriel’s place will be under threat against City as Arteta confirmed he has yet to train.
Gabriel Martinelli
There was some surprise when Brazil called up Arsenal striker Gabriel Martinelli for matches against England and Spain this month, but he quickly backed down.
Martinelli appeared on crutches as Arsenal beat the Bees late at the Emirates Stadium, fueling the mystery surrounding his continued absence.
Thomas Partey
Partey made the bench against Sheffield United and Brentford before coming on as a substitute in the win over Porto after returning from a thigh injury.
However, he will not feature in Ghana’s latest internationals as the Black Stars lost to Nigeria in a friendly before facing Uganda in Marrakech, Morocco.
The player decided to focus on getting fully fit ahead of the Arsenal game rather than worrying about further injuries.
He took part in a tough closed-door friendly against QPR along with Tomiyasu on Thursday.
Jurrien Timber returns to Arsenal’s first-team training
Arsenal released photos and video of Jurrien Timber training with the first team at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, speeding up his recovery from a summer injury.
Sami Mokbel reports that Timber is yet to fully train, but that should change in the coming days.
Simon Collings said that Timber did not take full part in Arsenal’s training camp on Wednesday but joined the core group after initial individual work.
“Timber’s inclusion on Wednesday is a sign that the defender is getting closer to being ready,” Mokbel wrote of Timber’s return to action.
But Collings reports that Timber is still far from full fitness and is currently trying to play his part in building up his strength.
With the Chelsea match postponed, Arsenal has three games left before the international break: Sheffield United on Monday, Brentford on Saturday, and FC Porto next Tuesday (March 12).
The Porto game is less than two weeks away and with the Timber still not fully fit, he is unlikely to feature again before the international break.
Arsenal will then be away until March 31 when the Gunners travel to Manchester City. This match will be the first match back.
Arsenal’s clash with Luton Town at the Emirates Stadium is perhaps a more realistic goal in over a month. Let’s see how events develop in the coming rounds.
