Mikel Arteta Receives Boost with Key Arsenal Stars Returning for Man City Clash
Mikel Arteta will walk into the Community Shield with three of his heavyweights back at his disposal.
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Martin Zubimendi are all set to return for Arsenal against Manchester City in Sunday’s curtain-raiser in Cardiff, after rejoining full training this week following their World Cup exploits.
All three had been given extended breaks after deep runs in North America – Rice and Saka with England, Zubimendi as part of the Spain side that went all the way and lifted the trophy. The rest is over. The real work starts now.
“They will be available,” Arteta said on Friday, confirming the news Arsenal fans wanted to hear. “They trained with us today, they will train tomorrow. If they are in the condition we expect them to be, they will be involved.”
That is a significant injection of quality for the FA Cup holders as they face the Premier League champions, now under the guidance of Enzo Maresca.
Saka and Rice ready after injury-hit year
Saka’s return has come ahead of schedule. The winger had been due back at London Colney on Monday, yet he and Spain goalkeeper David Raya both reported earlier than planned, checking in on Saturday and accelerating their preparations.
It matters because Saka spent much of the second half of last season nursing an Achilles problem. Rice, meanwhile, revealed during the World Cup how neural pain in his hamstring had troubled him since Christmas, on top of a calf issue and a bout of illness.
Arteta, though, sees no lingering shadows from those problems.
“We haven’t noticed anything,” he said. “They have individual plans. Through the time they had with the national team they’ve been trying to evolve those issues and they have improved.
“In the rest period that they had, they both had specific programmes for themselves. They’ve been doing those and so far what I saw the last two or three days, it was really good.”
The pressure of last season’s run-in exposed how vital both are to Arsenal’s structure. To have them refreshed, cleared and back on the grass before the first trophy of the campaign is up for grabs is no small gain.
Zubimendi back, but Saliba and Timber still out
Zubimendi’s return adds another layer. Fresh from Spain’s World Cup triumph, the midfielder has rejoined the group and is also in contention to feature against City, bolstering Arteta’s options in the middle of the pitch.
Others have already had minutes. Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Mikel Merino cut short their holidays to rejoin the squad and all featured in Wednesday’s pre-season draw with Como, as did Raya.
Not everyone is so close.
William Saliba faces an extended spell out with a long-term back issue. The defender does not require surgery, but the problem was aggravated during the World Cup and Arsenal are braced to be without their defensive linchpin for a significant period.
On the opposite flank, Jurrien Timber will also miss the Community Shield. The versatile right-back has been battling a persistent groin injury since March, a setback that cost him the World Cup entirely and limited him to a brief cameo in the Champions League final in May.
Arteta’s latest update offered encouragement, but no immediate solution.
“[He is] progressing really well,” the manager said. “He’s on the pitch, we're ramping up now certain actions, especially the volume and the load.
“I think he’s on a good trajectory but still a few weeks to go.”
Asked if Timber might return before the international break next month, Arteta refused to draw a line in the sand.
“I don’t know. We have to wait and see. He needs to start to train with the group in the next week or so hopefully and then see how he progresses from there.
“But obviously it’s been a long-term issue and we want to make sure that every step that we take is the right one. He’s such an important player for us.”
So Arsenal head to Cardiff with their attacking core restored but their defensive options thinned. Against a City side reshaped by Maresca yet still defined by the standards of champions, the question is simple: will the returning stars be sharp enough, early enough, to tilt the first blow of the season in red?
