Arsenal star’s pre-season absence explained as supporters’ fears prove true

The fears of some Arsenal fans have been realised following an injury during pre-season.

The Gunners are in Washington DC as they prepare to face MLS All-Stars in a pre-season friendly. The Gunners are already hard at work ahead of the new season, and with incomings such as Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber, fans are already dreaming of a Premier League title after narrowly missing out last season.

But during pre-season training, there have been a couple of players absent, causing concern among fans who have been closely observing pictures and videos put out by the club.

As far as Cedric Soares is concerned, we now know that the Portuguese star has not travelled due to Mikel Arteta deciding to not include him in his plans. Soares will be looking for a new club ahead of the new summer.

Elsewhere, Reiss Nelson has been one of the biggest concerns, with the winger not seen in recent sessions. That’s despite the 23-year-old signing a new long-term contract with the club in recent weeks.

According to The Athletic, Nelson has suffered an injury setback during pre-season, It’s claimed the winger suffered a laceration during the club’s first training camp, in Germany, and it has been decided it is best for him to recover at home, in the UK, rather than travelling and not training or playing.

While Nelson will be disappointed to miss out on pre-season action, the good news is that the injury is not said to be serious, and there is no concern that he will miss out on the start of the new season. Nelson will want to play a more significant role this season after producing some big moments as part of a supplamentary role last term.