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Football London
Football London
Sport
Josh Challies

Arsenal make decision on wonderkid as Mikel Arteta is handed injury blow ahead of FA Cup final

Here is all the latest news from around the Emirates Stadium over the past 24 hours.

Shkodran Mustafi FA Cup blow

Arsenal have been issued a significant blow ahead of the FA Cup final against Chelsea as Shkodran Mustafi has been ruled out from the final two matches of the season.

The German World Cup winner has enjoyed a revival under Mikel Arteta, shining in a three-man defensive line and catching the eye with his solid performances in the victories against Liverpool and Manchester City.

However, Arteta now has a major selection headache for next weekend's FA Cup final as Mustafi will be unavailable to feature - with Rob Holding the likely candidate to step-up in his absence.

Read the full story.

Decision made on wonderkid

Catalin Cirjan, the highly-rated young Romanian midfielder, will spend next season with Arsenal's Under-23 side after a bright start to his time in English football.

Cirjan, 17, excelled with the U18s last season and will make an early step up to Steve Bould's youth team in time for the resumption of academy football later this year.

The youngster has also trained with the first team under Mikel Arteta and along with Miguel Azeez, Ben Cottrell and Matt Smith is considered one of the top midfield prospects at the Hale End academy.

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Saliba shirt number

William Saliba will inherit the number four shirt at Arsenal next season, with Mohamed Elneny moving to the number 25 if he remains at the Emirates Stadium.

The young French defender moves to England after signing for the Gunners last season and spending the 2019/20 campaign on loan with St. Etienne.

The expectation for Saliba's debut season in the Premier League is high and he will wear the number that has previously been donned by the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Patrick Vieira and Per Mertesacker - all of whom also captained the side.

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