Havertz, Saka & Ødegaard: Latest Arsenal injury news and expected return datesplaceholder image
Havertz, Saka & Ødegaard: Latest Arsenal injury news and expected return dates | Getty Images
The latest Arsenal injury news and return dates as they prepare to face Brentford in the Premier League.
Arsenal have a rather busy week or two ahead of them. Thursday night’s game against Brentford will be swiftly followed by an FA Cup tie against Wigan Athletic, and away match at Wolves – all before next weekend’s North London Derby. Unfortunately for the Gunners, injury problems are making a potentially critical week rather more challenging.
News broke on Wednesday that Kai Havertz was enduring a fresh fitness problem and he could join Bukayo Saka on the sidelines as the winger recovers from a groin issue, while club captain Martin Ødegaard is also a doubt for the Premier League game against Brentford. In total, Arsenal have six players who are either out or doubts heading into a tricky run of fixtures.
With kick-off against Brentford fast approaching, we’ve collected all of the latest Arsenal injury news below along with the stricken players’ likely return dates when available.
How bad is Kai Havertz’s injury – and when will Bukayo Saka be back?
German forward Kai Havertz was diagnosed with an undisclosed muscular injury earlier this week and now faces another lay-off, with the 26-year-old having only just returned from a knee injury which sidelined him for five months – a problem which itself swiftly followed a serious hamstring problem picked up in February.
According to BBC Sport, Havertz is expected to miss the matches against Brentford and Wigan and is a serious doubt for next week’s games against Wolves and newly managerless Tottenham Hotspur, but the injury is not expected to keep him out for the long term on this occasion.
Another key attacking player, Bukayo Saka, also remains a doubt for Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures. The England international winger sustained a minor hip injury during the warm-up prior to the recent 4-0 win over Leeds United and has missed the Gunners’ last two games as a result.
Speaking to the media before the weekend, manager Mikel Arteta said that Saka was “getting much better” and that he was hopeful he would return to training and the matchday squad “very soon,” but declined to give a specific timeline. Initial reports suggested that he would be back for the North London Derby, but those remain unverified and Arteta has since told reporters that “we will see” whether Saka might be available to face Brentford. As is often the case with Arteta, he has opted to remain cryptic about the precise return date.
Will Martin Ødegaard or Leandro Trossard feature for Arsenal this week?
Arteta has been equally coy over the availability of club captain Martin Ødegaard and Belgian forward Leandro Trossard, who remain doubts ahead of the Brentford match.
Ødegaard missed Arsenal’s last two matches with an unspecified injury described by Arteta only as a “niggle,” but Arteta refused to confirm whether he might be in the squad on Thursday evening.
Trossard, meanwhile, sustained an apparent muscular injury during the 3-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday. As is the case with Ødegaard, the club have declined to provide a specific prognosis and it is unclear whether he might be involved over the course of the next few matches.
One player who will certainly miss out is midfielder Mikel Merino, who is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a stress fracture on his foot. There remains a small chance that the Spaniard could return shortly before the end of the campaign, but the likelihood is that his second season in Arsenal colours has come to an end.
Also out is teenage forward Max Dowman, who Arteta has said is “a few weeks” away from coming back from an ankle injury. Arteta told the press that the youngster was doing “very well” on Wednesday, but a precise return date has yet to be established.
Continue Reading