Arsenal have been handed a welcome injury boost with Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard making surprise appearances in an open training session, alongside long-term absentee Kai Havertz, ahead of their crucial game against Newcastle United.
The Gunners have faced ongoing fitness issues throughout the season. Captain Martin Ødegaard was sidelined for two months due to a twisted ankle after starting the first three league games, while Bukayo Saka spent three months out following Christmas. During that period, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Havertz also struggled with injuries, leaving the team stretched thin.
Havertz, who was initially expected to miss the rest of the season after tearing his hamstring, made an encouraging step towards a return by rejoining full first-team training, as reported by The Athletic. This marks a significant development for Mikel Arteta’s squad, who have struggled with injuries all season.
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Rice’s presence at the session is also a positive sign. The England international missed Arsenal’s trip to Anfield last Sunday due to an undefined injury, which Arteta described as “not looking great.” Leandro Trossard, another player who had been a fitness concern, also returned to training ahead of Arsenal’s final home game of the season against Newcastle on Sunday.
Newcastle are just two points behind Arsenal in third place, with both teams having two matches remaining. A win or draw against the Magpies would keep Arsenal in a strong position to secure second place, especially with a season-ending match against bottom-dwelling Southampton still to come.
After last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool, Arteta reflected on the challenges that derailed Arsenal’s Premier League title push, highlighting injuries as a key factor.
“There are a lot of factors to that,” Arteta said. “We knew from the beginning that our squad was very short, and because of that, some players had a high probability of getting injured, based on previous seasons. We knew that, and we couldn’t do anything about it.”
Arteta went on to praise Liverpool’s ability to maintain consistency throughout the season, noting that, to win the Premier League, a team needs many factors to align.
“That’s a big thing to win trophies. Liverpool did that extremely well — they managed to maintain that consistency, that level of players, a system, a coach, and a stadium that has created an incredible atmosphere for them,” Arteta added.
“You need a lot of ingredients to win the Premier League. It’s difficult, and this season, we never found that consistency because of the issues we had.”
