Quick recovery: It’s been less than two weeks since William Saliba limped off early in Arsenal’s defeat by Liverpool
Arsenal Football Newsletter
William Saliba has returned to training already in a surprise injury boost for Arsenal and will be assessed ahead of Saturday’s clash with Nottingham Forest.
The French defender rolled his ankle during the warm-up ahead of his side’s 1-0 Premier League defeat by Liverpool prior to the international break but still started the game at Anfield, lasting just a few minutes before hobbling off and being replaced by summer signing Cristhian Mosquera.
Saliba subsequently withdrew from the France squad for 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland, with fears that he could miss a key stretch of games for Arsenal heightened after reports from France last weekend that stated he was facing up to a month on the sidelines.
However, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has now revealed that the influential centre-back has resumed training already and could even be in contention to feature in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium as the Premier League returns.
“William trained today, so we have a decision to make whether we play him or not,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.
Fellow defender Ben White is definitely fit to return this weekend after missing the last two games with an unspecified injury, while Bukayo Saka remains out but is progressing well in his recovery from a latest hamstring issue, according to his manager.
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“Bukayo is out,” Arteta said. “He’s trying to get back as quick as possible, but we need to respect that.
“He's evolving really well with very specific work at the moment, and the moment that we increase that load, let's see how he reacts.”
Kai Havertz is still recovering from knee surgery but now said to be “walking freely”, while Arteta has revealed that striker Gabriel Jesus is not expected to resume full first-team training until December following a long-term knee injury.
“He's starting to load and do some bits,” Arteta said on Havertz. “Obviously, as I said before, I think it will take him from weeks to months. But knowing Kai, I cannot give you any timescale because I know what he's going to try to do, same with Gabi Jesus.”
Christian Norgaard has been back in training as he seeks to make his first competitive appearance for Arsenal since a £15million move from Brentford in July, while Deadline Day signing Piero Hincapie has also been working with his new team-mates after returning from international duty with Ecuador.