Mikel Arteta will be hoping three key Arsenal stars can be passed fit for the huge Premier League clash against Manchester United next Wednesday. The Gunners secured a third consecutive victory this past Saturday as they beat West Ham 5-2 to move up to second in the league table.
Even before the London derby had kicked off, two fresh injury concerns became clear for Arteta with Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino both absent from the matchday squad. Gabriel was then withdrawn at half-time of the clash as a precaution having felt a recurrence of a previous issue.
Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are the other two names on the injury list with Kieran Tierney having recently returned. With that being said, football.london has pulled together the very latest on Gabriel, Partey and Merino before the visit of United to the Emirates Stadium.
Gabriel
Injury: Unknown.
Gabriel was taken off at half-time of the Premier League win over West Ham after scoring in the opening 45 minutes. He was also involved in a collision with Lukasz Fabianski where the West Ham goalkeeper appeared to punch him in the head.
Concerns his withdrawal was because of a concussion were high, but Arteta confirmed that was not the case and it was instead a similar problem to the one he felt against Sporting CP earlier this week.
What Arteta has said: "It was related to the previous injury he had in Lisbon."
Possible return date: Fulham (A) - Sunday, December 8.
Mikel Merino
Injury: Knee.
After coming off the bench for the final 20 minutes in Portugal, Merino was absent from the group that travelled to West Ham having dealt with a number of issues recently. An Arsenal update said: "Mikel Merino (knee issue) and Thomas Partey (muscle issue) both miss out on tonight’s fixture."
What Arteta has said: "Unfortunately they both picked (up) an injury and the game came too early and they couldn't be part of the squad."
Possible return date: Manchester United (H) - Wednesday, December 4.
Thomas Partey
Injury: Muscular.
Partey was omitted from the matchday squad to face West Ham after playing the full 90 minutes against Sporting. Announcing the starting XI, Arsenal said: "Mikel Merino (knee issue) and Thomas Partey (muscle issue) both miss out on tonight’s fixture."
What Arteta has said: "Unfortunately they both picked (up) an injury and the game came too early and they couldn't be part of the squad."
Possible return date: Manchester United (H) - Wednesday, December 4.
Riccardo Calafiori
Injury: Unknown
Calafiori was taken off quite early into the Premier League win over West Ham. Based on Arteta's update, there is no major concern but it is clear he may not yet be at full fitness.
What Arteta has said: "Well, he’s been dealing with little niggles in the last few weeks, obviously, he’s had a very serious knee injury and he’s doing really well but we have to manage his minutes. Today we have to do the same."
Possible return date: Manchester United (H) - Wednesday, December 4.
Ben White
Injury: Knee.
White has been dealing with a number of issues over the last few months. As a result, a decision was made for him to undergo a minor procedure over the November international break.
What Arteta has said: "Ben is going to be out for months. We had to make a decision in the last few weeks, unfortunately. It got to a point where we had to protect the player, and we decided to do the surgery."
Possible return date: Unknown.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Injury: Knee.
Tomiyasu has played just seven minutes in the 2024/25 season with injuries continuing to plague him.
What Arteta has said: "Tomiyasu is going to be out for a bit. He's going away for a few weeks to change his environment because it's been really tough for him. We're going to give him the best opportunity to try and unlock something, but I think we need to be patient."
Possible return date: Unknown.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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