Key defender and midfielder return: What we spotted from Arsenal training before Brentford clash

Arsenal know that the Champions League is within touching distance and the visit of Brentford presents a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

The Gunners will remember vividly that they lost the first game of the season to the Bees, and this weekend’s meeting will be a chance for revenge.

But most importantly, there are three points at stake that will give the north London side the advantage in this season’s quest to finish in the top four.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been tasked to return the club to the elite competition, and they might never get a better chance given the inconsistency of Manchester United, the dwindling form of Tottenham and the lack of depth at West Ham.

So with everything still to play for, the Gunners returned to training after their weekend’s game against Chelsea was called off due to the Blues being involved in the Club World Cup.

And LondonWorld brings you everything that we observed from Tuesday’s session at the London Colney base in Hertfordshire.

Mohamed Elneny back at London Colney

Arsenal’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny returned to the club’s training ground, after spending a month in Cameroon where his country, Egypt, reached the final of AFCON but ultimately lost to Senegal.

He returned to the training ground and was met by one of the physical trainers, who checked on his mental state after the Pharaohs’ penalty shootout disappointment at the AFCON.

Elneny told the Arsenal technical team that the Egyptian fans realised the team had given everything they could.

He said: “I think that our people knew and saw the effort that they put in and ultimately that made them proud of us.”

Elneny then quickly changed into his training kit before hitting the gym for a few minutes, and then he joined the rest of the squad for the training session.

His return will be needed as Arsenal go in search of Champions League football for the first time since 2017.

Takehiro Tomiyasu returns to training

More positive news for Mikel Arteta is the return to fitness of defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has not played since that Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool.

He missed league games against Burnley and Wolves, but has returned to the training pitch and is now in line to return to the team when they come up against Brentford this weekend.

Arteta has never hidden his admiration for the versatile Japanese defender, and his return will serve as a massive boost to Arteta and his coaching team who view the defender as a key cog in their technical set up.

And old face gets stuck into training

Jack Wilshere - who is a free agent - has been helping out with the Arsenal youth team while looking for a new club.

However, he was pulled in to take part in some drills with the first team by Mikel Arteta.

It looks like the Hale End graduate - who made 198 appearances for the Gunners - still has some of his talent, as pictures show him flicking the ball past Thomas Partey with his famous left foot.

Arteta would not be drawn on whether Wilshere might be offered a pay-as-you-play contract saying: “That’s a different story.”

Preparation for Brentford going according to plan

As Tomiyasu stepped up his recovery the rest of the Arsenal team in a distant view continued preparing for the game over the weekend.

Images from the training ground always show players happy and fighting for position in the team and Tuesday’s session was no different.

The Gunners know that finishing in top four is within touching distance and the players will be desperate to return the club to where it belongs.