The latest Arsenal injury news, with updates on the fitness of William Saliba, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Anfield was frustrating enough in its own right given the potentially damaging impact it had on the Gunners’ chances of winning a first Premier League title in more than 20 years – but it was made even more worrying by an injury to William Saliba.
The Frenchman was forced off the field barely five minutes into the match, adding another name to a growing list of players faced with fitness concerns which also includes Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz.
We’ve got the latest updates on all of Arsenal’s injured players heading into the international break below, along with their expected return dates when available.
How long will William Saliba be injured for?
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta revealed after the defeat to Liverpool that Saliba had “twisted his ankle” in the warm-up but had insisted that he was fit to play – only to be proven wrong quickly once the game got underway. The centre-back was replaced by summer signing Cristhian Mosquera with just minutes on the clock.
Saliba has since withdrawn from France’s squad for the forthcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Ukraine and Iceland, although that provides few indications as to the severity of the damage done to his ankle – a mild sprain could see a player sidelined for two to three weeks, while more significant damage could keep a player out for two to three months.
Arteta was typically gnomic when asked about Saliba’s injury status after the match and the severity of the injury is currently unclear. In the best case scenario, he could be fit to play in Arsenal’s next Premier League match at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday 13 September, but it’s possible that he is unavailable for a longer period of time.
Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka injury latest
There has also been a concerning update on the fitness of German forward Kai Havertz who sustained a knee injury earlier in the season. Prior to the recent win over Leeds United, Arteta had been cagey about the severity of the problem, suggesting that they would need “more tests” to work out how long he might be unavailable for.
The result of those tests was the decision to have Havertz undergo surgery, and he will now be out for some time. Arteta told the press ahead of the Liverpool game that the striker would be out for “a number of weeks but I don’t know how many months” – a typically imprecise estimate but one which makes it clear that Havertz will not play again for some time.
Winger Saka will also be unavailable for “a few weeks” due to a hamstring injury, with a report from BBC Sport prior to the Liverpool match suggesting that he would be out for up to four weeks. Surgery will not be required, but Saka – who withdrew from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad – is unlikely to feature against Forest. The home game against Manchester City the following week is a more realistic target.
Ben White & Christian Nørgaard nearing return
There is better news on the fitness of right-back Ben White and midfielder Christian Nørgaard, both of whom could be available for the Premier League match at the City Ground in 11 days’ time.
White hasn’t played since the opening weekend but Arteta has suggested that he was only kept out of the squad to face Liverpool as a precaution, and he is not expected to be unavailable for any significant length of time.
Summer signing Nørgaard, meanwhile, has yet to make his competitive debut for Arsenal but should be back to full fitness following the international break. Arteta had hoped that he could be ready to face Liverpool and while that did not prove to be possible, the Dane is on track to face Forest – although he, too, was not included in his national squad.
Meanwhile, striker Gabriel Jesus continues his rehabilitation from the ACL injury he sustained during January’s FA Cup third round defeat to Manchester United and posted a social media update over the weekend which showed him back on grass as he continues to work his way back to fitness.
Arteta told the media that the Brazilian has been making “very strong strides” as he builds up to a return, but no specific target date has yet been set. He is likely to be available again in the late autumn or early winter.
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