Mikel Arteta provided a generally positive update on the likes of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice ahead of Arsenal’s clash against Forest.
Mikel Arteta and Nuno Espirito Santo are both expecting to miss several key players this weekend. Arsenal will meet Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with both teams aiming to climb the Premier League rankings.
The Gunners have only taken five points from their past five games in the English Premier League, with their lone win coming against Southampton at the beginning of last month. They’ve slumped to fourth place, nine points behind Liverpool in the title battle.
The North Londoners have recently struggled to impress, and Forest will seek to add to their agony. So, with that said, football.london has looked at who might miss the game from either side.
Arsenal
Ben White
Ben White underwent a small treatment last week to address a joint issue that has been bothering him, football.london understands. Arteta told reporters on Friday that the defender would be out for’months’.
“Ben will be out for months, unfortunately,” warned the Arsenal manager. “There have been several types of challenges. Things have never been the same. We needed to make a decision. Unfortunately, it has not improved during the last few weeks.
“We know Ben will push every boundary, but it came to the point where we needed to protect the athlete, so we had to perform the surgery. He agreed, and regrettably, that will keep him out for several months.”
When asked for a precise timeframe for White’s absence, Arteta answered, “I don’t know at the moment. We’ll have to watch how he behaves after surgery. I don’t expect him to be half a year, but I can’t say for sure.”
Kieran Tierney
Kieran Tierney suffered a hamstring injury at the European Championships in the summer. When asked for an update on the defender’s progress, Arteta said: “Kieran not yet. He had a couple of sessions with the team, but not ready yet.”
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Takehiro Tomiyasu remains out of action with a knee injury. The defender missed the large majority of last season with a calf problem and he’s played just six minutes this term. On Friday, Arteta said: “Tomiyasu is going to be out as well for a period.”
Forest
Danilo
Nuno has revealed that Danilo is ‘near’ to returning from injury, having suffered a broken toe on the first day of the season. The Forest manager told ESPN Brazil that the midfielder is making significant progress in his recovery, but he won’t be ready to face Arsenal.
“He’s close to returning. We now need to give him time to recover from the injury and then raise his fitness so he can return. “But the process is going well,” Nuno stated. “We need to be patient and recognize that this is a serious injury that will take additional time on the field.
“It was a great disappointment to lose Danilo in the first game. But he’s positive, and he’s a very special child. He had the opportunity to visit Brazil (as part of his recuperation). He works 14 hours a day on his recuperation; he does not leave anything out, which is a significant advantage.”
Ibrahim Sangare
Ibrahim Sangare has been sidelined with a hamstring issue since September, and he has undergone surgery. Speaking to media ahead of the Arsenal game, Nuno stated that the Ivorian and Danilo are the only players missing.
“Those two are definitely out and cannot be involved,” said the Forest manager, as reported by the Nottingham Post. “We have a few additional things to handle and decide on. We still need Sosa to arrive because he plays later.
“The rest of them have arrived, and everything is well for the time being. We are simply handling some players and situations. As we previously stated, we took advantage of this international break to recuperate several players. Let us wait and see whether they improve.
