Arsenal have received mixed news on the injury front ahead of their Champions League clash with Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday evening.
The Gunners head to the San Mames Stadium for a quick reunion with Ernesto Valverde's side, whom they eased past 3-0 in the summer's friendly Emirates Cup clash.
Mikel Arteta's men made light work of Nottingham Forest by the same scoreline in Saturday's Premier League clash, although the result was slightly overshadowed by another shoulder injury to Martin Odegaard.
The Norway captain had already suffered a similar problem during August's 5-0 win over Leeds United, and he initially tried to play through the pain on Saturday before making way for Ethan Nwaneri.
Arteta could not give a definitive answer when asked about Odegaard's condition after the win over Forest, but the Arsenal skipper was not seen in the Gunners' latest batch of training images, released on Monday afternoon.
Odegaard missing from Arsenal training photos before Athletic clash
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Arteta will no doubt be pressed for an update on Odegaard's condition in tonight's pre-game press conference, but the signs are not promising for the former Real Madrid protege.
In brighter news, William Saliba was pictured in full team training following a recent ankle injury, which was previously said to have been serious enough to sideline him from between three and four weeks.
Those reports from France were wide of the mark, though, as Arteta revealed that the defender had trained on Friday before the visit of Forest, but he was ultimately not risked for that top-flight game.
However, Saliba is now expected to be part of the squad for the trip to Athletic, where Christian Norgaard could also make his first competitive appearance for Arsenal, having not featured in the Premier League season so far due to a knock.
Bukayo Saka (hamstring) is expected to miss out once again, though, while Gabriel Jesus (ACL) and Kai Havertz (knee) are still recuperating from their issues, but the former was not selected for Arsenal's league phase squad regardless.
How can Arsenal replace Odegaard against Athletic?
Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri celebrates scoring on March 4, 2025
Gone are the days where one injury could derail a thin Arsenal squad, and as critical as Odegaard can be to his team's build-up play, the Gunners should have the resources to cope on Tuesday.
Nwaneri - Odegaard's replacement at the weekend - is the most natural replacement for his captain, but Arteta has so far been loath to start the 18-year-old on the right-hand side of the midfield trident, where the teenager would have the responsibility of leading the press.
Instead, Mikel Merino started in that slot against Liverpool when Odegaard was only fit enough for a place on the bench, but the Spaniard is not a natural playmaker and struggled to make his mark in that role.
As Saturday proved, the Spaniard is far more effective as a left eight or emergency striker, but as Declan Rice will almost certainly return to the XI on Tuesday, Merino is a viable option in the Odegaard position.
Alternatively, Arteta could trial Eberechi Eze in that slot and promote either Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard - who claimed an assist at the weekend - to the starting lineup on the left wing.
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