Man Utd star sets Arsenal clash as injury return objective after 'positive' Erik ten Hag update

Arsenal may be down in fourth place, but they will still be pleased with how they have started the new season. The Gunners are just two points behind leaders Manchester City having already played them away from home, also having already faced Aston Villa and Tottenham on the road.

A kinder run of fixtures now awaits with Leicester City, Southampton and Bournemouth awaiting ahead of a much trickier clash with Liverpool. Some of the other big outings include dates with Newcastle United and Chelsea in November and a clash with Manchester United on December 3 at the Emirates Stadium.

That particular fixture is a long way from Arsenal’s thoughts, but it is firmly in the thoughts of one United star. That’s because one of the Red Devils’ summer signings is aiming to return from injury in time for the trip to North London.

United signed Leny Yoro for £52.5million from Lille in the summer, and he is yet to make a league appearance due to picking up an issue late in the summer. Yoro broke his metatarsal against Arsenal in a pre-season friendly in Los Angeles in late July, and the injury required surgery.

Speaking last month, United boss Ten Hag said: "This is one of the reasons why we signed him, he's very mature and has a great personality. He is dealing with it [the injury], looking forward and being bright. He is being positive. He's already started his rehab. There is a fire burning there and as I've said, for his age he is very mature. He won't get distracted and he knows what he wants.

"He knows what he wants to go and I'm sure he'll be returning as soon as possible and will be supportive of the team winning games and trophies. You [the players] need heart and you need head, both traits are very important, so we need both things right to form a team and in a team you need different skillsets, but personality, mentality and character are very important to construct a winning team."

Yoro aiming for Arsenal return

According to a report from GiveMeSport, Yoro is aiming to be fit and match sharp by the time the Arsenal clash rolls around on December 3. United are currently leaning on Matthijs de Ligt in Yoro’s absence, and it will be an interesting battle for a starting spot then the latter returns to fitness.

The Red Devils also have Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire as centre-back options. Lindelof recently spent time on the sidelines himself, but he returned to fitness ahead of the weekend’s draw with Crystal Palace.