Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed he is likely to be unable to call on his first-choice defense before the first international break of the season, with William Saliba and Jurriën Timber still weeks away from returning to training.
Center back Saliba succumbed to a back injury during the World Cup, while Timber did not even make it to this summer’s tournament after aggravating a groin injury from which he may have rushed his return for the Champions League final in May.
Neither has played in preseason, with Arteta forced to explore alternative options at the back, and that is likely to be the case up until the first international break in late September.
“[Timber] is progressing really well, he is on the pitch,” Arteta explained before Sunday’s Community Shield against Manchester City. “We are ramping up now with certain actions and especially the volume and the load, and I think he is on a good trajectory, but there are still a few weeks to go.
“I don’t know [if he will be back before the break]. We have to wait and see. He needs to start training with the group in the next week or so, hopefully, and then see how he progresses from there. It’s been a long-term issue right now, and we want to make sure that every step that we take is the right one, he feels right to do that and he’s such an important player for us.”
On Saliba, Arteta simply added: “As we all know, it’s more a long-term injury.”
Which Games Could Saliba, Timber Miss?
Arsenal face a total of eight games before the international break arrives in September, starting with Sunday’s Community Shield.
A visit from Coventry City on Friday, Aug. 21, marks the start of Arsenal’s Premier League title defense, before a tough few fixtures against Aston Villa (A) and Chelsea (H).
Trips to Sunderland and Brighton & Hove Albion also feature in Arsenal’s calendar before the international break, as will a third-round Carabao Cup tie and the first of eight games in the Champions League league phase.
|
Fixture |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Man City (N) |
Aug. 16 |
|
Coventry City (H) |
Aug. 21 |
|
Aston Villa (A) |
Aug. 31 |
|
Chelsea (H) |
Sept. 6 |
|
Carabao Cup third round |
TBC |
|
Champions League league phase |
TBC |
|
Sunderland (A) |
Sept. 12 |
|
Brighton (A) |
Sept. 19 |
There is also no guarantee that Saliba will be ready for the return of club soccer after the break. The decision not to undergo surgery on his back injury may have spared Arsenal an absence of at least four months, but there remains no fixed return date for the Frenchman.
Arsenal return to action against Leeds United on Oct. 10, which comes less than three months after Saliba suffered his back injury at the World Cup.
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