Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has suggested the Gunners could welcome Noni Madueke, Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz back from injury after the November international break.
A handful of long-term fitness issues have threatened to cause problems for Arteta this season. Havertz has been missing since August with a knee injury, while a similar issue struck summer signing Madueke down the following month.
Ødegaard, meanwhile, has battled a whole host of injuries before succumbing to his own knee problem in September.
The new depth in Arsenal’s squad, however, has meant Arteta has hardly felt the pinch as the Gunners have opened up a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League standings ahead of Saturday’s trip to Burnley.
In his pre-match press conference, Arteta confirmed none of the long-term absentees will be back at Turf Moor, but assured fans they will not have to wait much longer.
“I would say weeks, and some of them pretty soon, hopefully,” he said. “We have the international break, but after that we hope to have come of them back.”
Arsenal face Slavia Prague in the Champions League in midweek before a Premier League meeting with Sunderland sends them into November’s international break, after which the Gunners return to the small matter of a north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
I think it’s going to be very soon.Mikel Arteta on potential returns
Arteta was soon pushed on whether Madueke, Havertz and Ødegaard could all be back in time to face Spurs, and the boss was delighted to confirm that recovery timeline.
“Yeah, I’m excited because they are tremendous players,” he continued. “I see them work every single day, how desperate they are to be part of the team.
“The huge boost that is going to be for the squad to have and those players again, after such a long, long time, so really happy that I think it’s going to be very soon.”
In the short term, however, Arsenal have a handful of other concerns to address.
Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba were both ruled out of the midweek victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. The former remains sidelined, while the latter’s involvement against Burnley on Saturday is up in the air.
“Martinelli... still out, Saliba we have to wait and see,” Arteta confirmed. “We don’t know [when Martinelli will return], but this game comes too early for him.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mikel Arteta Offers Updated Return Timelines for Injured Arsenal Trio.
