Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice have handed Arsenal a major fitness boost ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield against Manchester City after returning to full training alongside Martin Zubimendi.
Mikel Arteta has spent much of pre-season without several senior internationals following the World Cup, leaving the Arsenal manager with difficult decisions over how quickly to reintegrate his key players.
That picture is now improving just two days before the first competitive game of the season.
Arteta confirmed on Friday that Saka, Rice and Zubimendi had all trained with the first team and are scheduled to work again on Saturday.
“If they are in the condition we expect, they will be involved,” Arteta said when discussing Sunday’s squad.
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Arsenal vs Man City team news improves
The update does not guarantee any of the trio will start in Cardiff.
Saka, Rice and Zubimendi only recently returned following their World Cup involvement and Arsenal will be careful about increasing their workloads too aggressively before the Premier League season begins.
Their availability would nevertheless transform Arteta’s options.
Rice and Zubimendi were central to Arsenal’s title-winning midfield last season, while Saka remains one of the Gunners’ most important attacking players.
Bruno Guimaraes could also make his competitive Arsenal debut after getting 45 minutes against Como on Wednesday, giving Arteta considerable competition in midfield.
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There was less positive news concerning Arsenal’s defence.
Arteta said Jurrien Timber is progressing well but remains a few weeks away, while William Saliba’s back problem is a longer-term issue.
That leaves Arsenal short at centre-back, but the potential return of three major midfield and attacking options provides a timely lift.
Sunday will ultimately reveal how much Arteta is prepared to risk his returning internationals, but having Saka, Rice and Zubimendi available at all represents a significant improvement from the position Arsenal were in earlier this week.
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