Speaking to reporters, Arteta said: "Declan was ill. He was quite sick after the game, and he hasn’t travelled with us. William is still not available, and Leo again picked another knock in an area where he had the issue, and I don't expect that it's going to be long, but unfortunately, he cannot be here."
In an illustration of the mounting physical toll, Arsenal have altered their Champions League squad to accommodate the returning Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian forward had been sidelined since January following surgery on his cruciate ligament, but has forced his way back ahead of schedule. His reintroduction comes at the expense of 15-year-old midfielder Max Dowman, who suffered an injury while playing for Arsenal’s Under-21 side against Manchester United over the weekend.
Arteta added: "Yes, so first of all, unfortunately, Max [Dowman] picked up an injury last weekend and had to come off. So he did some scans and he is going to be out for weeks and then we have the situation of Gabi [Jesus], who we were expecting to be training with us by the end of December. Gabi has been pushing every single day and he kept telling everybody 'I am going to be earlier, earlier, earlier' and he has done it.
"So thanks to his work and all the work that the medical staff have done in all these months, and we had the possibility to make a swap there and we have done it. Yes, on one side, you see Max and the situation and on the other, you see the joy and how happy Gabi is to be back in the Champions League."
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