Mikel Arteta has delivered good news on the Arsenal injury front.
Mikel Arteta has provided a double injury boost by confirming that Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori will be available for Saturday evening's trip to Crystal Palace.
And Gunners boss Arteta, who is toasting five years as manager today, has said utility man Oleksandr Zinchenko is also nearing a return from injury following a torrid spell in which six different players who can play at full back have been absent.
"Rice and Calafiori are both available to be in the squad. Zinchenko probably available as well," Arteta said at his pre-match press conference, though he added that Takehiro Tomiyasu remains sidelined.
Arteta said that he has not made a plan for the next five years as he reflected on a period where Arsenal have returned to being Premier League title contenders under his watch.
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"You have to live in the present in this job," he said. "You can prepare for the mid to long-term but you have to be in the moment to understand how things are working and putting processes in place to make better decisions."
Arteta has overseen a huge transformation at the club since arriving and added: "The unity, the connection and the fact we are competing in big fronts right now. We haven’t managed to do that in recent years so that’s positive.
"I am here because I am so passionate about what I do and I love this football club. I try to be the best version every day.
Declan Rice picked up an injury versus Everton last weekend.
"Those things take time. There was a connection here with the fans because I was a player and captain here but after going through different situations together it had galvanised the relationship."
Asked about what he needs to improve as a coach, Arteta said: "In all of them [aspects]. I was very obsessed with the tactical aspect when I arrived but after two months I realised there was no tactics to do because we were sitting at home [during the Covid-19 pandemic]. We had to look after the emotional and physical well-being of the players. You have to evolve."
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