Mikel Arteta is in the midst of preparing his Arsenal squad for a big Premier League clash away at Manchester United this Sunday. The Gunners are in search of back-to-back victories for the first time in over a month after their Champions League demolition of PSV earlier this week.
Prior to scoring seven in the Netherlands, Arsenal had found the back of the net just twice across four games with both of those coming from Mikel Merino. Arteta will soon have some key attackers back however, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli hoping to feature after the March international break.
That means a front three of Merino, Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri at Old Trafford, and for the for the third consecutive game, is expected. Changes further back are unlikely given the players available, but Calafiori coming in for Myles Lewis-Skelly is one possible alteration.
With that being said, football.london has pulled together all the interesting things spotted from Arsenal's final training session, which took place at Emirates Stadium, before the trip to Man United.
Arteta secret weapon
For the last few weeks, the majority of Arteta's starting XI has been picked for him. That has resulted in Nwaneri being deployed on the right in the absence of Saka.
Upon the latter's return, it is likely the teenager will return to the bench, but his performances and a certain trait will make it hard for Arteta to leave him out. The 17-year-old is already an elite ball-carrier and it is clear to see why with what was seen from the latest training pictures.
With the sun out, Nwaneri rolled his shorts up for the session and that meant his quads were on full display and it was subsequently quite clear he has had many leg days in the gym since breaking into the senior team.
That undoubtedly gives him serious running power which can be utilised in a midfield role for the Gunners, allowing him to combine his technical ability and dominance with the ball. Therefore, when Saka returns there is a real chance he continues in the starting XI just in midfield.
Calafiori change
Following his goal against PSV, Calafiori will be desperate to start against Man United. The Italy international has had to be patient for regular minutes following Lewis-Skelly's emergence, but he has regularly made an impact when on the pitch which includes scoring important goals against Manchester City and Wolves.
Performing well in training could be key to that and there was something different about the defender in training from Friday. Captured by a photographer on several occasions, it soon became clear that Calafiori was not wearing his iconic head band which allowed parts of his long hair to drift into his face.
Given the great weather that has been on display recently, there was perhaps no need for one as the wind was not strong enough to cause any issues.
Saka and Martinelli absent
Though it will change very soon, there was no sign of Saka or Gabriel Martinelli in the Arsenal training photos. It is possible both were present for the first part of the session and were just not pictured, but it is equally likely that they are not quite ready for team training.
A return against Fulham on April 1 looks to be the plan in place, but Martinelli could even feature before the break as has only been unavailable for a few weeks. Saka meanwhile, will surely be integrated back into the team carefully given he will have missed the last three months.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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