Arsenal Receives Triple Boost Ahead of Community Shield Clash
Arsenal head into the Community Shield with a jolt of good news: Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Martin Zubimendi are all back and ready to face Manchester City.
The trio returned to full training this week after extended breaks following their World Cup exploits in North America, and Arteta has cleared them to be involved in Sunday’s season curtain-raiser in Cardiff between the Premier League champions and FA Cup holders.
“They will be available,” Arteta said 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.”
That is a significant lift. Rice and Saka are the heartbeat of this Arsenal side, while Zubimendi arrives off the high of winning the tournament with Spain last month and now finally links back up with his club in time for a marquee test against City.
Saka and Rice fitness fears eased
Saka was not even due back at London Colney until Monday. Instead, he cut his holiday short and reported back on Saturday, as did Spain goalkeeper David Raya. The message is clear: Arsenal’s key men want to hit the ground running.
There had been concern over how both Saka and Rice would emerge from a gruelling campaign. Saka played through an Achilles problem for much of the second half of last season, while Rice revealed during the World Cup that neural pain in his hamstring had troubled him since Christmas, followed by a calf issue and a bout of illness.
Arteta, though, sounded relaxed about their condition.
“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.”
Arsenal have already eased several returning internationals back into action. Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Mikel Merino are all back from their post-World Cup breaks and featured in Wednesday’s pre-season draw with Como, along with Raya.
Saliba blow and Timber delay
Not every update is positive. William Saliba is facing an extended spell out with a long-term back issue. The injury, aggravated during the World Cup, does not require surgery but will keep one of Arsenal’s most important defenders sidelined well into the new campaign.
On the opposite flank, Jurrien Timber remains unavailable for the City showdown. The versatile defender has been hampered by a persistent groin problem since March, a setback that cost him a place at the World Cup and limited him to a brief appearance off the bench in May’s Champions League final.
Arteta described the Dutch international as still “weeks away” earlier in the week, and that timeline has not shifted, even if the tone has brightened slightly.
“[He is] progressing really well,” the Arsenal manager said. “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."
Asked if Timber might return before the international break next month, Arteta refused to pin down a date.
“I don’t know. We have to wait and see.
“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.”
Cardiff curtain-raiser with a different edge
So Arsenal travel to Cardiff strengthened in midfield and attack, but still short in defence, to face a City side now led by former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca. It is only the Community Shield on paper, a glorified friendly to some. For Arteta, with Rice, Saka and Zubimendi back in the fold and Timber edging closer, it looks more like the first hard clue of what this season’s Arsenal might become.
