Mikel Arteta expects William Saliba to return from his hamstring injury Injury Just in time for Manchester City next week, with the Frenchman not traveling to face Wolves on Saturday.
Saliba unexpectedly missed the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa – a game in which Arsenal gave up a 2-0 lead at the Emirates Stadium – and Arteta, after initially putting down the severity of the problem, admitted he was ” “very concerned” about the condition of the Frenchman.
Arteta revealed ahead of Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League that Saliba and Bukayo Saka have made progress in their recoveries, and the Spaniard was given more detail in Friday’s press conference as he also provided an update on Young Link retired Myles Lewis-Skelly.
“With Myles there is nothing serious on the scan, so today it will be a meeting with the medical staff and a training session and whether it is too early or not,” Arteta said before the Wolves game.
“It’s the same with Willy. I think they’ll definitely be there for next week [against Manchester City] But this week we’ll see how it works. “
According to reports, Arsenal could welcome knee surgery in the following game against Newcastle United in the second leg of the Carabao Cup final as a long-term absence.
While Arteta would not commit to a return date for White, he revealed that the versatile defender should be back in the mix shortly.
“He hasn’t trained with the team yet but he’s very close,” said Arteta. “He’s got to tick a few boxes and then I think he’ll be with us soon.”