**Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Cristhian Mosquera did pick up an injury against Aston Villa last week.**
The 22-year-old was forced off the pitch with 10 minutes to go in the 1-0 win. After the final whistle, Arteta suggested that he was replaced as a precaution, but speaking on Sunday, he provided a further update on Mosquera’s fitness:
“He had a muscular issue, and we think it’s not too much. But we need to wait and see the next few days for how it evolves.”
Arteta’s comments suggest that Mosquera won’t be fit to [**face Napoli**](https://goonernews.com/blog/arsenal-predicted-lineup-vs-napoli/), and he may also be a doubt to play Sunderland on Saturday.
**Expected Return Date – Late September**
Jurrien Timber
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Speaking before the victory against Chelsea, Arteta stated that the Dutchman was available and could be in contention to face the Blues:
“He is in really good condition at the moment. As I said, he’s been now a few weeks on the pitch, and he’s training with us now. We’ll decide tomorrow after training.”
Timber did not make the matchday squad for the London derby, and it remains to be seen if he will be available to play Napoli.
He could well be in the travelling party, and there is a chance that he could get some minutes off the bench.
**Expected Return Date – Wednesday 9th September vs Napoli (a)**
William Saliba
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The centre-back has not started his rehabilitation, with Arteta confirming that the player is still resting up:
“We don’t really know the amount of weeks Wilo is going to be out because it’s about a healing process and everything is a bit different – we know we have to respect certain timings.”
“The progression has been really positive in the last few weeks, but we need to wait and see how that one reacts when we start to put some load into it.”
With all back injuries, there can be setbacks, and that is why Arteta was choosing his words carefully. The decision not to undergo surgery may end up proving to be the correct decision, but as we saw with Manchester United’s Matthijs de Ligt, an operation may still be required if things don’t improve after he begins rehab.
**Expected Return Date – Unknown**