Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Aaron Catterson-Reid

Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard: Arsenal injury news and return dates after Bournemouth clash

Arsenal 's win over Bournemouth on Saturday was far from comfortable.

Mikel Arteta's side found themselves behind after less than ten seconds when Phillip Billing scored the second-fastest goal in Premier League history before Marcos Senesi doubled the Cherries' lead in the second half. However, the Emirates Stadium continued to will their team on as goals from Thomas Partey and Ben White levelled the scoreline with just 20 minutes to go.

Reiss Nelson then found the winner for the Gunners in the 97th minute, netting an incredible strike from the edge of the box with his weaker left foot. There was one negative, however, as forward Leandro Trossard picked up an injury in the first half.

Below, football.london details all the latest on Trossard and the other members of Arteta's squad that have suffered from various fitness problems in recent times.

Leandro Trossard

Trossard appeared to have picked up some kind of knock before signalling to the coaching staff that he could no longer continue and he was eventually substituted for Emile Smith Rowe in the 22nd minute.

What Arteta has said: "It is a worry, he came to me straight away and said he couldn't continue, he'd felt something when he was tracking back, so we had to take him off", the Spaniard said when asked what had happened to the talented attacker. "We'll assess him and see how he is."

Eddie Nketiah

Eddie Nketiah had found himself on the bench for recent wins over Leicester and Everton following a slight drop in form. Arsenal boss Arteta then confirmed after his substitute appearance against the Toffees that the young striker had suffered with a slight injury concern.

What Arteta has said: "We are assessing him," the Spaniard said in his pre-match press conference. "It's a bit uncertain what will happen with him to be honest in the training sessions.

"Let’s see, let’s keep the options open. He’s very positive about it and hopefully he’ll be fine."

Expected return date: Sporting (A) - March 9

Jorginho

Jorginho started the aforementioned win over Everton ahead of Thomas Partey, although he made way for the former Atletico Madrid man at half-time, with Arteta confirming that the Italian international wasn't feeling 100 per cent after the full-time whistle.

However, he was named on the bench for the win over Bournemouth on Saturday so should be fully fit to start on Thursday if needed.

What Arteta has said: "Jorgi’s [Jorginho] is fine. He had an illness and he put in a great shift but we decided to take him off [vs Everton]."

Expected return date: Sporting (A) - March 9

Thomas Partey

A muscular problem ruled Partey out for a number of games but the 29-year-old finally made his return to action in the win over Leicester. He replaced Martin Odegaard with just over five minutes left of the second-half.

The Ghana international then came on at half-time during the win over Everton before starting against Bournemouth, playing the full 90 minutes and scoring a much-needed goal in the process.

What Arteta has said: "The question mark on Thomas. He hasn’t trained much but looks like he could be available. Let’s see how he goes today. We’ve missed him in the past few games and hopefully he’ll be back."

Current fitness status: Fully fit

Emile Smith Rowe

Smith Rowe has been plagued by injuries this season, suffering from a thigh strain earlier this year before returning to the matchday squad against Aston Villa and Leicester, without featuring at all in either match. However, the talented playmaker did play the first 45 minutes as the Gunners' Under-21 side took on Chelsea last week.

He then came on for the last ten minutes of the game against Everton in midweek before featuring for nearly an hour against the Cherries, coming on for the injured Leandro Trossard in the 22nd minute he eventually made way for match-winner Reiss Nelson in the second half. After the game, Arteteta confirmed that Smith Rowe was fine, the Spaniard just wanted a different dynamic on the left wing.

What Arteta has said: “We didn’t plan to throw him in so early. We knew it was difficult for him to last 70 minutes on the field after missing nearly five months. But I think he had a good impact but at the end, I felt we needed something else on the left because we were lacking threat and we were attracting more players into that (left) side. That’s why we made the decision to bring Reiss on."

Current fitness status: Fully fit

Gabriel Jesus

Having suffered medial ligament damage whilst playing for Brazil against Cameroon in the World Cup group stages, Jesus returned to London to undergo surgery on his knee, with an expectation that he will be out for at least another month of footballing action.

Arsenal are hopeful of having Jesus back in the first-team squad before the international break towards the end of March, football.london understands. The north London outfit welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium before club action pauses for a fortnight due to international fixtures.

The Gunners are hopeful of having the former Manchester City frontman back in the squad before players head off with their respective nations.

On Tuesday evening, Jesus took to social media, posting a picture where he can be seen back on the field, playing with a ball. "Step by step", his tweet read, alongside multiple emojis before the hashtags of "alômãe" and "gratidão", which roughly translate to "hello mother" and "gratitude", the former of which refers to his iconic phone call celebration to his mother.

Arteta has now provided a fresh update on his number nine as he continues to edge closer to making a return.

What Arteta has said: "He's not far now. I don't want to give a timeline but he's doing certain things with the team, certain things outside the team. He's not very close but he is not far at all.

"He's feeling better every day and the doctors are confident with the way the injury is evolving and we are in a good place with him I think."

Expected return date: March.

Mohamed Elneny

Elneny started in the FA Cup win over Oxford United and played the whole 90 minutes. However, the Egyptian was absent for Arteta's squad for the 2-0 win at Tottenham, with a knee issue picked up in training ahead of the clash being assessed. Additionally, there was no place on the bench to face Manchester United.

A club statement last month then confirmed that the former Basel man will be out for an extended period of time, although no timescale was given on his expected return. Elneny has since penned a new deal at Arsenal as he closes in on a return.

Expected return date: N/A

READ NEXT:

What Reiss Nelson did to copy Cristiano Ronaldo after stunning Arsenal comeback vs Bournemouth

Arsenal player ratings vs Bournemouth as Reiss Nelson grabs chance but Smith Rowe poor

Every word Mikel Arteta said on Reiss Nelson's impact, Bournemouth win and Trossard's injury

Shearer and Given agree on penalty mistake during Arsenal vs Bournemouth amid four VAR checks

Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.