Arsenal's Key Players Back for Community Shield Against Manchester City
Mikel Arteta will have Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka back at his disposal when Arsenal face Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, with the pair cleared to return after their post-World Cup breaks.
The England duo are back in full training following the national team’s run to the semi-finals in North America and are in contention for the season’s traditional curtain-raiser in Cardiff, where the Premier League champions meet the FA Cup holders.
Arteta also confirmed that Martin Zubimendi is available. The midfielder rejoined the squad this week after helping Spain lift the World Cup last month.
“They will be available,” Arteta said of Rice, Saka and Zubimendi at his pre-match press conference on Friday. “They trained with us today, they will train tomorrow. If they are in the condition we expect them to be, they will be involved.”
Saka and Raya back ahead of schedule
Saka had originally been due to report back on Monday, but he returned earlier than planned on Saturday, as did Spain goalkeeper David Raya.
Several other World Cup players are already back in the fold. Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Mikel Merino have all cut short their holidays and featured in Wednesday’s pre-season draw with Como, along with Raya.
Arsenal, though, must plan without William Saliba for an extended spell. The defender is sidelined by a long-term back problem that does not require surgery but worsened during the World Cup.
Saka spent much of the second half of last season managing an Achilles issue, while Rice spoke during the World Cup about neural pain in his hamstring that had troubled him since Christmas, followed by a calf problem and illness. Arteta is convinced the summer break has reset both.
“We haven’t noticed anything,” he said. “They have individual plans. Through the time they had with the national team they’ve been trying to evolve those issues and they have improved.
“In the rest period that they had, they both had specific programmes for themselves. They’ve been doing those and so far what I saw the last two or three days, it was really good.”
Timber still “weeks away”
Jurrien Timber will not feature against City. The versatile defender is still working his way back from a persistent groin injury that has troubled him since March.
The Dutch international missed the World Cup entirely and only managed a brief substitute appearance in the Champions League final in May. Arteta said earlier in the week that Timber remained “weeks away” from a return, and that timeline has not shifted, even if the latest signs are encouraging.
“[He is] progressing really well,” Arteta said of Timber before facing Enzo Maresca’s City. “He’s on the pitch, we’re ramping up now certain actions, especially the volume and the load.
“I think he’s on a good trajectory but still a few weeks to go. With Willy [Saliba], it is a more long-term injury.”
Pressed on whether Timber could be back before next month’s international break, Arteta kept the door open but refused to commit.
“I don’t know. We have to wait and see,” he said. “He needs to start to train with the group in the next week or so hopefully and then see how he progresses from there.
“But obviously it’s been a long-term issue and we want to make sure that every step that we take is the right one. He’s such an important player for us.”
Arsenal head to Cardiff with key pillars returning, others still in the treatment room, and a first real look at how Arteta’s reshaped core will stand up to the champions. The questions around depth and durability will not wait for the league to start.
