Mikel Arteta is facing a potential injury crisis as Arsenal bid to bounce back from defeat in the Carabao Cup final and their trophy pursuit get back on

 

Arsenal return to action against Southampton in the FA Cup on Saturday, before they play first leg of their Champions League quarter-final with Sporting CP on April 7 and then resume their Premier League title bid against Bournemouth on April 11.

 

However, the Gunners have been hit hard during the international break with Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi all being forced to return home earlier than expected.

 

Gabriel and William Saliba were unavailable to represent their respective countries, Eberechi Eze was ruled out of England duty after missing the Carabao Cup final, while Leandro Trossard, Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard have also missed international games due to fitness issues.

 

With that in mind, here is all the latest Arsenal injury news and potential return dates.

 

Bukayo Saka

 

Saka withdrew from the England squad over the weekend, having joined up late after Thomas Tuchel said he wanted to manage the workload of some key players.

 

In a statement on Saturday, the FA said: “Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka will also return to Arsenal for medical assessment, having arrived on Friday along with nine other players.”

 

Arsenal fans will hope the withdrawal was a precaution, though there is every chance Saka could be rested against Southampton as Arteta may have an eye on the Sporting and Bournemouth double-header.

 

Potential return date: Saturday April 4, vs Southampton (A) or Tuesday April 7 vs Sporting (A)

 

Declan Rice

 

As mentioned above, Rice has returned to Arsenal for “medical assessment” after dropping out of the England squad before the 1-1 draw against Japan.

 

The midfielder had been allowed to join up late with the England squad, after admitting last month that he was “shattered”.

 

Tuchel then issued a rather worrying update on Rice on Monday when he said: “He feels a discomfort since quite a while, and he’s playing through it.

 

 

Declan Rice did not feature for England during the international break

 

 

“He is just now on the edge, where he thinks, ‘Does this make sense, what I’m doing here, to push through with 70 per cent [fitness] and push myself and push myself?’ And the same with Bukayo.”

 

Potential return date: Saturday April 4, vs Southampton (A) or Tuesday April 7 vs Sporting (A)

 

Noni Madueke

 

There are more serious concerns over Madueke after he suffered a knee injury playing for England against Uruguay in the first of two friendlies.

 

The winger injured his left knee following a robust challenge from Rodrigo Aguirre that Tuchel described as “on the edge” and had to be substituted towards the end of the first half.

 

Madueke was later seen limping through the mixed zone at Wembley after the game and wearing a brace on his left leg, sparking fears of a serious injury.

 

However, on Monday, Tuchel said: “The assessment, with the picture, was slightly better than his feeling. He will be out for some days.”

 

Potential return date: Tuesday April 7 vs Sporting (A)

 

Piero Hincapie

 

Hincapie became the final Arsenal player to pull out of international duty when he withdrew from the Ecuador squad on Sunday.

 

Hincapie played 72 minutes of Ecuador’s 1-1 draw against Morocco on Friday but was ruled out of their game against the Netherlands on Tuesday which ended in a 1-1 draw.

 

In a statement, Ecuador said Hincapie has returned to Arsenal “to begin his recovery process” following medical tests over an unspecified injury.

 

Potential return date: Unknown

 

Martin Zubimendi

 

Shortly before it was announced on Sunday that Hincapie was out of the Ecuador squad, it emerged that Zubimendi had withdrawn from Spain duty.

 

Zubimendi played 13 minutes as a substitute for Spain in their 3-0 win over Serbia on Friday but left their camp due to “discomfort in his right knee”.

 

The midfielder did not feature for Spain against Egypt on Tuesday, having already made his return to London Colney.

 

An image of Zubimendi with strapping on his right knee has been doing the rounds on social media, sparking concerns among Arsenal fans over a serious injury.

 

Potential return date: Unknown

 

Gabriel

 

Gabriel withdrew from the Brazil squad because of “pain in his right knee”.

 

The Brazil Football Federation (CBF) confirmed the Arsenal defender would miss friendlies against France and Croatia after tests confirmed an injury.

 

Gabriel played the full 90 minutes of the Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City but his fitness is a concern.

 

 

Gabriel complained of knee pain after the Carabao Cup final

 

Arsenal FC

 

“Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes is out of the friendlies against France and Croatia,” read a statement from CBF. “After the game against Manchester City, for the final of the English League Cup, the athlete complained of pain in his right knee. Imaging tests have confirmed that Gabriel is not fit to play in the matches during this international break.”

 

Gabriel is being assessed by Arsenal, with Arteta due to provide an update on the fitness on all the injury dropouts when he holds his next press conference before the Southampton game. But Arsenal fans will hope his withdrawal is also precautionary.

 

Potential return date: Saturday April 4, vs Southampton (A)

 

William Saliba

 

Like Gabriel, Saliba played the full 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup final before pulling out of the France squad.

 

The French Football Federation [FFF) said Saliba was unavailable for games against Brazil and Colombia due to an injury issue.

 

“William is suffering from recurring pain in his left ankle, requiring treatment and a minimum rest period of ten days,” said an FFF statement.

 

That would mean Saliba will be in contention to return after the international break.

 

Potential return date: Saturday April 4, vs Southampton (A)

 

Eberechi Eze

 

Eze missed the Carabao Cup final and is facing around a month out with the calf injury he sustained in the Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen

 

Arteta said Eze would have a definitive scan to determine the full extent of the injury and his setback comes as a major blow for Arsenal.

 

A timescale on his return will become clearer after those tests, but the fact his injury came ahead of an international break will help minimise the impact created by his absence.

 

Potential return date: Saturday May 2, vs Fulham (H)

 

Martin Odegaard

 

The impending return of the Arsenal captain should help ease the impact of Eze’s loss.

 

Odegaard has been unavailable for a month due to a knee injury and was ruled out of Norway games against Holland and Switzerland to focus on his recovery.

 

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard could have a big role to play in the run-in

 

But there is hope he will be fit to play after the international break as his return to Arsenal action is “within reach”, according to Norway manager Stale Solbakken.

 

Potential return date: Saturday April 4, vs Southampton (A)

 

Jurrien Timber

 

Timber missed the Carabao Cup final with an ankle problem and then withdrew from the Netherlands squad for games against Norway and Ecuador.

 

He instead stayed at Arsenal to continue his recovery.

 

Arteta had said he hoped Timber would be fit to face Manchester City at Wembley, suggesting his injury is not serious.

 

Potential return date: Saturday April 4, vs Southampton (A)

 

Leandro Trossard

 

Trossard pulled out of the Belgium squad for games against the USA and Mexico due to an unspecified injury.

 

“This decision will allow him to continue their rehabilitation under optimal conditions,” said the Belgian FA in a statement.

 

It is likely to be another precautionary move.

 

Potential return date: Saturday April 4, vs Southampton (A)

 

Mikel Merino

 

Merino is in a race to play for Arsenal again this season and be fit for the World Cup, after having surgery on a foot injury in February.

 

Potential return date: Unknown