Declan Rice is reportedly a doubt for the Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Saturday.
Despite injuries to important players, Arteta led the Gunners to a 2-0 victory over Brentford on Wednesday, giving them a five-point lead at the top of English football.
Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard have all been sidelined at different points this season.
Gabriel Magalhaes, who is not anticipated to be fit again until the end of December, and William Saliba, the first-choice center-half combination, have both been unavailable.
See Also: Ruben Amorim Reveals Why He Snubbed Kobbie Mainoo AGAIN As Manchester United’s Ace Left On Bench
Cristhian Mosquera has stepped in at the back alongside Piero Hincapie in their absence but there was worry about the former Villarreal star when an unfortunate landing forced him out in the first-half against Brentford.
Later in the game, when Rice cautiously departed the field with what looked to be a calf problem, alarm bells went out once more.
The England star eased injury fears when he left the Emirates that night, telling Sky Sports he was ‘fine’.
What Arteta Said About Rice
With final decisions to be made after training this afternoon, Arteta did not reveal much about Arsenal’s Saturday afternoon early kickoff match against the formidable Villa.
“Let’s see [on Rice],’ Arteta told a press conference as quoted by The Metro. “I think with all the questions I’m gonna get the answer will be the same. We have another training session in the afternoon.
“Every hour is going to be very important. So, after that, we will decide who travels.”
Saliba was unable to play against Chelsea last weekend and has missed Arsenal’s last two games due to an injury sustained during training.
The France international is still “a couple of days” away, as is the case with Leandro Trossard, although Arteta expressed hope that the injury was not too significant.
COMMENTS