Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber were all absent from Thursday’s open training session as Arsenal stepped up preparations for Sunderland’s visit to the Emirates this weekend.
Saka suffered a hip/groin issue in the warm-up ahead of Saturday’s win at Leeds and is expected to be sidelined for several weeks. According to The Sun’s Simon Collings, the winger is targeting a return in time for the North London derby on 22 February.
It remains unclear what problem Odegaard is dealing with. The club captain came off the bench at Elland Road and played a role in the build-up to goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus, but then missed the Carabao Cup semi-final win over Chelsea. His continued absence from training raises doubts about his availability for Saturday.
Timber, meanwhile, has had his load carefully managed in recent weeks, so his absence is unlikely to be related to a specific injury. Nothing concerning emerged from his post-match media duties on Tuesday, and Ben White is available to step in at right-back if required.
Mikel Arteta is due to face the media tomorrow when he’ll be pressed for fitness updates, but will do his best not to give anything away.