It's been a frustrating season for Arsenal on the injury front. Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White and Martin Odegaard are just some of the key players who have been sidelined with injury this campaign.
A lack of player availability was one of the reasons the Gunners dipped in form after the October international break but Mikel Arteta's side appear to now be back to their sensational best. The north Londoners smashed five past Crystal Palace in their last match before Christmas and are now unbeaten in their past seven league matches.
Bukayo Saka did limp off against the Eagles, however, and will now be missing for a number of weeks with a hamstring injury. With Saka contributing to 22 goals this campaign, his absence will be a huge miss and it will be up to a number of other players to fill the creativity void.
Thankfully, one extremely creative player is closer to making his return from injury. Oleksandr Zinchenko has not played since the 2-0 win over Manchester United on December 4 but has now returned to training. Arteta revealed Zinchenko would "probably [be] available" for the trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday but in the end the Ukrainian did not make the matchday squad. The 28-year-old could make his return against Ipswich on Friday, though.
Zinchenko, who is capable of playing at left-back and even central midfield, has only featured nine times for the Gunners this term, playing just 318 minutes. In his last appearance against Manchester United, the former Man City man showed his class as he inverted into midfield when the Gunners were in possession. When he does play the defender is composed and offers a sense of control the Gunners sometimes lack, with Arteta previously admitted he is a huge fan.
"First of all, his mentality. He’s used to winning - winning is the only thing and winning in the right way," Arteta told the club website in 2022.
"He’s a perfectionist and a really demanding boy, I know him so well, and after that he brings qualities that we didn’t have in the squad. He gives us a different option to play within the role in different spaces, and I’m really happy to have him."
While Zinchenko doesn't perhaps have the defensive qualities of Calafiori, he is the most creative left-back in the Arsenal squad and should be a huge asset in the coming months. With Saka set for a spell on the sidelines, someone in the Gunners squad must take on the creativity burden. Zinchenko might just be that man in the opening few months of 2025.