Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been blessed with a double fitness boost ahead of the Gunners' Premier League showdown with Nottingham Forest on Saturday lunchtime.
Last year's top-flight runners-up seek a return to triumphant ways following adisheartening 1-0 defeat to champions Liverpoolbefore the international break, which ended their 100% record for the 2025-26 campaign.
Arteta had to make do without no fewer than five players for that Anfield battle, as Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Christian Norgaard and Ben White sat out the contest due to injury concerns.
To make matters worse, Arsenal then lost influential centre-back William Saliba to an ankle sprain just five minutes into the match, although Cristhian Mosquera's composed performance softened the blow of the Frenchman's injury.
Arteta may now have another alternative to Saliba at the back, as White was pictured in team training on Thursday, as was experienced defensive midfielder Norgaard.
White, Norgaard back in Arsenal training before Forest clash
?? Ben White et Nørgaard sont de retour a l’entraînement pic.twitter.com/lGih2Zvoqj
— Arsenal FC ?? (@ArsenalFansFR) September 11, 2025
White featured prominently in pre-season and made the first XI in Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Manchester United on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, but he was taken off after 71 minutes at Old Trafford due to a knock.
The 27-year-old missed subsequent meetings with Leeds United and Liverpool, but a return straight after the break was expected to materialise, and he should now be in contention for his first home appearance of the season.
Meanwhile, Norgaard is yet to make his competitive debut for the Gunners since joining for an initial £10m from Brentford during the summer transfer window, having seemingly suffered an unspecified issue in pre-season.
However, the Denmark international will now be pushing to make the matchday squad at the Emirates Stadium, although a competitive debut will surely have to come from the bench owing to the presence of Martin Zubimendi in the engine room.
Which Arsenal players were missing from training on Thursday?
Arsenal's William Saliba pictured on August 23, 2025
While White and Norgaard's returns represent a timely double boost for the Gunners - especially with the Champions League on the horizon - Arteta was still missing four infirm troops at London Colney on Thursday.
Neither Saka (hamstring) nor Saliba were pictured taking part in the team session, and the pair are both expected to be out for at least a couple more weeks, although conflicting claims have emerged over the latter.
Reports from France stated that Saliba would spend between three and four weeks on the treatment table, but journalist Charles Watts believes that that timeframe may not be entirely accurate, and only Arteta can answer definitively.
In addition, both Havertz and Jesus were not pictured with the group on Thursday, although the latter did recently take a major step forward in his recovery from an ACL injury.
Viktor Gyokeres is therefore guaranteed to start up front against Forest on Saturday, where the Sweden international could join Sergio Aguero inan exclusive Premier League goalscoring club.
ID:581266:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5479: