Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard are fresh injury doubts for Sunday's Premier League final-day showdown with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Both attackers were named in the first XI for last weekend's 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, which officially ended Arsenal's hopes of clinching the top-flight crown.
Trossard, who was standing in for the injured Gabriel Martinelli, lasted 70 minutes of that clash at the City Ground before coming off for Fabio Vieira, while Saka completed the full 90 minutes.
However, speaking to reporters at Friday's pre-game press conference, Arteta revealed that the duo would be touch-and-go for Sunday's game due to niggles, while Reiss Nelson also missed the loss to Forest through illness and will need assessing.
Mohamed Elneny and Takehiro Tomiyasu also remain out of contention due to their serious knee injuries, while William Saliba (back) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf) will not be back for the final day either.
© Reuters
"We had some issues this week and in the last few weeks as you noticed, some players were unable to play and participate in the games," Arteta told the media.
"Reiss, we have a little issue as well with Bukayo which has been going on for a few weeks and with Leo, the rest I think they're going to be fine.
"Alex [Zinchenko] is still out, obviously Willy [Saliba] is still out, Tomiyasu's still out, Elneny's still out, there are a few that are not available but the rest are all good."
Elaborating on Saliba's back problem, which has kept him out since March and has coincided with Arsenal's end-of-season drop-off in form, Arteta had a positive update to share but is still unsure if the Frenchman will be fit for the start of pre-season.
"It's probably too early to say, I think he's evolving in the right way, the last few weeks have been much more positive than the previous two months," the Spaniard added.
© Reuters
"But we wanted to protect him, it was an injury that needed care and attention and we've been pretty conservative to give him the best possible chance of having a good pre-season and go again next season."
With nothing but pride on the line at the Emirates, Arteta would have been expected to make changes to his starting XI either way, but injuries to Saka and Trossard could open the door for the likes of Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe to make their first Premier League starts of the season.
Nelson is believed to be on the verge of following Saka in signing a new long-term contract at the Emirates, with the latter penning fresh terms until 2027 on Tuesday, and Arteta expressed hope that more renewals will be completed in the coming weeks.
"It's great news for the club," Arteta said on Saka's new contract. "The club has done a great job, everybody has participated in that deal to make it happen. Hopefully there will be a few more to come."
Talks are also ongoing with Saliba's camp over a new deal, while Martin Odegaard is expected to be in line for fresh terms ahead of the 2023-24 season.
No Data Analysis info
