Injury worry for Mikel Arteta as Arsenal duo not seen in training ahead of Nottingham Forest clash

Arsenal pair Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard were not spotted in training on Thursday which means they could be a doubt for the Gunners’ game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta’s side are looking to get their first win in four Premier League matches after what was a poor spell before the international break. The Gunners come off a 1-1 draw to title rivals Chelsea in which Gabriel Martinelli and Pedro Neto scored the goals. Saka and Trossard both missed time over the international break and now in recent pictures coming from Arsenal, they were not spotted in training on Thursday which could be a big blow for Mikel Arteta.

Bukayo Saka’s injury

The England international suffered a knock in the last game against Chelsea which meant that he had to pull out of Lee Carsley’s England squad alongside Arsenal teammate Declan Rice. Saka was initially expected to be easily fit for Saturday’s game, but there is a doubt now.

Saka has been recovering, but as things stand, there is concern over whether he is able to play against a tough Nottingham Forest team who sit on the same number of points as the Gunners. Mikel Arteta spoke about Saka and Rice before the international break, he said: “It doesn't look good because two players of that importance tell you that they cannot continue in the game, so it obviously isn't good news.”

Leandro Trossard injury

The Belgian international had to miss out on the latter stages of Belgium’s Nations League match against Israel due to a knock that he picked up during the game. Trossard’s was expected to be minor but as he hasn’t been in training on Thursday, it may be worse than initially thought. The Belgian won’t be out for a long period of time, but it is more of a question of whether he’ll be able to get to full fitness ahead of Saturday's kick-off against Nottingham Forest.

Four other Arsenal players have injury concerns

The Gunners aren’t just at risk of missing Saka and Trossard for Saturday’s game as up to four more players could miss the game which would be a major blow for Arteta. Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu have already been ruled out of the match due to injuries that are expected to keep the pair side-lined until December.

Whereas Riccardo Calafiori is a doubt to return after suffering a knee injury against Shakhtar Donetsk when the Gunners won 1-0 in the Champions League. He is trying to get back to full fitness for the weekend, but it is unclear yet as to whether he’ll be ready.

Furthermore, Rice is also a doubt as previously mentioned he had to miss international duty with England due to a toe injury. It is expected to be minor, but it has not yet been confirmed if he’ll be ready to play on Saturday.