William Saliba
William Saliba
Arsenal have been handed a huge boost regarding William Saliba's road to recovery, although Mikel Arteta may have two fresh injury concerns to contend with heading into a pivotal few weeks.
After suffering their first defeat of the season away at Brighton prior to the international break, the Gunners returned to winning ways on Saturday as they narrowly beat a spirited Leeds side at the Emirates. Goals from Riccardo Calafiori and Bruno Guimaraes cancelled out James Justin's opener, sparing Arteta's blushes.
An uncharacteristically edgy performance from Arsenal's defence against the Yorkshire outfit highlighted the need for Saliba, and thankfully for the North Londoners' head coach, the Frenchman could be back in action sooner rather than later.
Journalist Sam Dean revealed on X on Monday morning that Saliba is back on grass doing individual training following his lengthy lay-off due to a back injury.
The 25-year-old is certainly still several weeks away, but this is no doubt a step in the right direction.
Saliba went down clutching his back in France's World Cup semi-final against Spain back in July, and initial reports suggested he may not be available again until the new year.
However, the defender has progressed more swiftly in his rehabilitation than anticipated, and could now feature for the Premier League champions before December.
Saliba News Marred By Two Arsenal Training Absences
Arsenal's Martin Zubimendi
Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra
Elsewhere, according to journalist Art de Roche, Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie were both absent from Arsenal's open training session on Monday morning.
Zubimendi was an unused substitute against Leeds at the weekend, while Hincapie replaced Calafiori with ten minutes left to play in N5. Some reports emerged after the clash with Daniel Farke's team suggesting that the former sustained an injury in the warm-down, although Arsenal are yet to verify these suggestions.
Meanwhile, Hincapie has missed time recently with an ankle problem, and was kept out of Ecuador's squad over the international break. The left-back started Arsenal's first Champions League game of the season against Napoli back in September, and was likely in line to take Calafiori's place for the clash with Lille on Tuesday. However, his absence from training has raised doubts about his potential involvement against the French side.
Zubimendi has fallen in the pecking order since Myles Lewis-Skelly's emergence as a midfielder and Bruno Guimaraes' arrival from Newcastle. A fitness setback won't help his cause as he looks to fight his way back in Arteta's plans.
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Injury information via Premier Injuries - correct as of 12/10/2026