Arsenal injury update: Saliba, Gabriel, Havertz latest return dates

 Arsenal are dealing with yet another injury concern to a key player after William Saliba missed Sunday’s clash with Chelsea.

The French defender looked set to start as usual in a high-profile London derby in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge, only to be omitted from the Gunners’ squad completely in a shock on matchday.

Arsenal quickly confirmed that Saliba was sidelined with a knock sustained in training on Saturday, meaning that Mikel Arteta - also still missing Gabriel - was without both of his influential first-choice centre-backs as summer signings Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie were paired together for a feisty 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea.

Arteta will be praying that neither man is sidelined for long as, following a week of huge matches against Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, the Premier League leaders continue a packed fixture schedule with upcoming games against Brentford, Aston Villa, Club Brugge, Wolves, Everton and Crystal Palace before Christmas.

However, there was good news for Arsenal against Chelsea, with star striker Viktor Gyokeres returning off the bench after a hamstring problem and Gabriel Jesus included in the squad for the first time since January as captain Martin Odegaard also earned more minutes as a substitute after his latest absence.

Here is the latest Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of another all-London meeting with Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.

William Saliba

Arsenal fans were stunned to see Saliba not involved when the team sheet dropped at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Arsenal writing on social media: “William Saliba misses out after a knock in training.”

Arteta did not specify exactly what the issue was as he addressed the media before and after the game, but revealed that the centre-back would undergo further examination by medical staff on Monday to determine its extent.

“I think he has another test tomorrow to see the extent of that feeling, that sensation that he had, then we'll know more,” Arteta said.

Providing a further update on Tuesday ahead of the Brentford game, Arteta said Saliba had a small issue but did not rule out the prospect of him playing on Wednesday ahead of a final pre-match training session.

“He had a little niggle, so I think it’s going to be a matter of days, so let’s see if he’s able to be there tomorrow,” Arteta said.

“The ankle one [earlier in the season] was really random, and a very unlucky action that kept him out for a few weeks. He tried at Anfield, he wasn’t comfortable and he had to stay away.

“This one as well, very bizarre, but hopefully it will be a matter of days.”

Potential return date: Wednesday, December 3 vs Brentford (H) or Saturday, December 6 vs Aston Villa (A)

Gabriel

Saliba’s surprise absence against Chelsea came with Arsenal already missing regular defensive partner Gabriel due to an adductor injury suffered while playing for Brazil in a friendly against Senegal at the Emirates last month.

The 27-year-old was expected to miss a period of “weeks” as a result of the problem, having been scheduled to undergo a further scan to allow for a clearer time frame for his recovery to emerge.

Arteta confirmed after the draw at Chelsea that Gabriel would still be sidelined for a while yet.

“With Gabi, there are still some weeks to go,” he said.

Speaking on Gabriel again on Tuesday, Arteta said: “Big Gabi is doing very well as well, but that’s weeks as well.”

Leandro Trossard

Before Saliba, the latest key addition to Arsenal’s injury list had been Leandro Trossard, who limped off with a muscle issue during the first half of last Wednesday’s statement 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Arteta expressed hope on Friday that the Belgian winger would make a quick recovery and be available to face Chelsea, though he ended up missing out on the squad.

Like Saliba, the Arsenal boss said on Tuesday that Trossard’s return was also a “matter of days”, so he could make his comeback against either Brentford or Aston Villa.

Kai Havertz

The only long-term absentee now yet to return for Arsenal is Kai Havertz, who has not played since undergoing surgery on a knee injury sustained against Manchester United on the opening weekend of the season.

After he missed out against Bayern Munich, Arteta was hopeful that Havertz - along with fellow forward Gyokeres - could make his comeback in some capacity against former club Chelsea.

However, he was not involved again and Arteta has now confirmed that Havertz remains weeks away from playing after a setback first confirmed by Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann last month.

“A matter of weeks,” Arteta said on Tuesday. “Let’s see how he evolves in the next few weeks. He is doing really well, he is doing stuff on the pitch, but I think he needs some time.