Arsenal handed major double injury boost for Leeds clash after Mikel Arteta update
Arsenal have received a major double boost with William Saliba and Jurrien Timber both expected to return against Leeds this weekend.
The duo are key starters for the Gunners in defense but were completely rested for Wednesday night’s Champions League win over Kairat Almaty due to what Mikel Arteta described as minor ‘concerns’.
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However, the Arsenal manager has now confirmed that Saliba and Timber are both fit for the trip to Elland Road on Saturday afternoon as his side look to bounce back from their first home defeat of the season against Manchester United and increase their lead to four points at the top of the Premier League.
“They are fine,” Arteta told reporters in his pre-match press conference. “Obviously they played a lot of minutes, they had some issues.
“It was a really good opportunity for us to unload them a little bit and freshen them up.”
Arteta added that Kai Havertz was also ‘ready’ to face Leeds, having experienced ‘no reaction’ after his first start for Arsenal for 357 days against Kairat.
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Havertz played the first half of the eventful 3-2 victory and registered an early goal and an assist before making way for captain Martin Odegaard as part of plans to boost his fitness following a long-term knee injury.
“Yeah, he’s ready,” Arteta said. “Obviously he started the game, it’s obviously been a long stretch and now we have to manage that load and the games we’re going to pick for him to start.
“But there was no reaction to it. I think it was super positive, we saw straight away the impact he can have on the team. So yeah, he’s ready.”
Max Dowman is now Arsenal’s only injury absentee as he continues to recover from an ankle ligament injury suffered in an Under-21 friendly against Manchester United last month.
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“It was a bit more than (Cristhian) Mosquera’s,” Arteta said on Dowman.
“Obviously he’s growing as well and we have to be very careful and a little more protective. He also has a different schedule because he has to go to school and all that.
“We have to respect a lot of things throughout this process. But I think he’s pretty close. He’s on the field now, he’s doing well and hopefully we can see him soon.”
Earlier on Friday, the club announced that Dowman had agreed terms on a summer scholarship and will sign a professional contract at the Emirates Stadium once he turns 17 in December.