Mikel Arteta will once again make do without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this weekend as Arsenal travel to Leeds in search of a third consecutive win.
A 2-0 victory over West Ham on Wednesday night moved the Gunners into the top four and Arteta will be eager to cement their place there at Elland Road on Saturday evening.
But 32-year-old Aubameyang will not be present as he continues to suffer the consequences for returning to training late following a trip to France.
The striker was dropped for the Gunners clash with Southampton before being stripped of the club captaincy ahead of the visit of David Moyes and his side.
Aubameyang's future at Arsenal has never looked more uncertain and on Friday, Arteta confirmed that the marksman would once again not be part of his matchday squad.
When asked during his pre-match press conference on Friday whether the former Borussia Dortmund man would be recalled against Leeds, the Spaniard's answer was blunt.
"No, he’s not available for selection," he said. When pushed further on whether Aubameyang had a future in north London, the Spaniard remained coy, saying: "For this game, he’s not available for selection."
A similar line was repeated when quizzed on what Aubameyang has to do to get back into consideration.
But being dropped from matchday squads and being stripped of his captaincy duties is not the extent of the punishment.
Do you think the Premier League should pause to deal with the latest surge in Covid cases? Have your say below
The Telegraph reported on Friday that Aubameyang has also been banished from first-team training at their London Colney centre and is working on his own.
Arsenal have devised a plan for him to maintain match fitness in these sessions and this is set to continue until he goes to the Africa Cup of Nations with Gabon next month.
With the January transfer window just around the corner, speculation surrounding his future is only set to increase and the club are expected to reassess his future upon his return from Cameroon.
