Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has provided an update on the fitness of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard ahead of Thursday’s London derby against Brentford.
The Gunners are navigating a demanding run of fixtures while dealing with several injury concerns.
Saka and Odegaard have both been sidelined, while Trossard was forced off during the recent victory over Sunderland.
Speaking at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference before the trip to the Gtech Stadium, Arteta offered a cautious assessment of the trio’s condition.
“[Bukayo, Martin and Leandro], we will see,” Arteta said via arsenal.com.
Young forward Max Dowman, who has been recovering from injury since November, is also nearing a return.
The 16-year-old last featured in a competitive first-team match when he became Arsenal’s youngest-ever Champions League appearance-maker against Slavia Prague.
Arteta admitted the teenager is not yet ready to be involved but is making encouraging progress.
“Max is still not available. However, he’s doing very well.
“I think he will be with us in a week or so, and then he can pick up the rhythm and be available for us.”
The Spaniard also spoke about Mikel Merino, who recently underwent foot surgery and is now set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Merino had been in fine form, netting 12 goals for club and country, including in his most recent outing against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.
“I think the doctors were really happy with the way [the surgery] went,” he explained.
“Now it’s the start of obviously a long process, we’re talking about bone healing. So, we’ll respect the timings, and I’m sure he’s going to do everything he possibly can to speed up that recovery.
“The timeframes, we’re talking about months – whether it’s three, four or five, we don’t know.”
