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Arsenal had the perfect night against Luton as they went back to the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners were able to rotate their side and still have far too much for the Hatters with attention quickly turning to battles yet to come.
Mikel Arteta will now have to turn himself to yet more recovery for his players as a trip to Brighton beckons on Saturday. Games home and away against Bayern Munich also follow with tough domestic fixtures on the horizon too.
The one worry to come from north London was the absence of Bukayo Saka. Unlike Declan Rice, Jorginho, and Gabriel Martinelli – all of whom were on the bench but made appearances throughout the evening – Saka was left out of the squad entirely. Having limped off the field against Manchester City on Sunday, plenty of eyes will be on if he recovers in the coming days.
Here, football.london has the latest from the Arsenal treatment room.
Bukayo Saka
Injury: Muscular
Saka was taken off late on against Manchester City, limping from the field with a physio alongside him. Arteta downplayed worries after the match and ahead of Luton with the attacker taking part in training ahead of the game.
However, Saka was not involved on Wednesday in a heavily rotated XI after failing a fitness test, football.london understands. It is believed that his absence is not thought to be much of a worry, though, as he recovers from a muscular issue picked up before the break.
He missed out as a precaution having not been able to complete all activities in training on Tuesday. He travelled to the game with the squad.
What Arteta has said: “He was close but again he felt something in a very similar area against City and it was a very short turnaround. Hopefully he’ll be able to train again and we can have him for the weekend.”
Potential return date: Brighton (A) – Saturday, April 6
Jurrien Timber
Injury: Knee
The defender has been recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered back in August during the Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest. His only other appearance came in the Community Shield against Manchester City.
Timber has been in team training since before the break.
What Arteta has said: “He’s doing very well. He’s back training, he’s not far off, the thing is that last step, he hasn’t played any minutes.
“Does he need a game with the Under-21s? Does he need two games? He’s constantly training with us to see how long that’s going to take him in that last part which is tricky and sometimes takes a while. Hopefully [he’s back] as quick as possible.
“I think he’s got a good chance of playing again this season]. I don’t know a percentage but he’s got a good chance and he’s going to push it as far as he can.”
Potential return date: Unknown.
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