Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed a worrying double injury setback for his squad ahead of their upcoming Champions League clash with Lille.
In a thrilling return to form for the Gunners, they secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium last weekend. However, the joy was dampened shortly after the final whistle as they lost midfielder Martin Subimendi and defender Piero Incapie to injuries. Both players sustained their injuries during post-match warm-down exercises on the pitch.
"After the game, we had a training session planned for the players who hadn’t had enough match minutes to help them regain rhythm and recover properly," Arteta explained. "In two unfortunate incidents, we lost two players. There’s nothing good about this situation. We need to assess their conditions today and carry out in-depth scans to determine the nature of the injuries. Only then will we know how long they might be out for. The situation is far from ideal," the Spaniard commented on the matter.
With a hint of irony, Arteta addressed reporters on how to avoid such injuries in the future, underscoring the inevitability of training:
"It's very simple: do not train at all. If they never train, they won’t get injured. But the flip side is that when they do step onto the pitch, they won't be match-ready and will struggle to influence the game. It could have happened out on the Emirates' pitch; this has never occurred in my seven years at the club. This could have happened the following day at the training ground. It has happened before, and let's hope it doesn’t again. What can you do? If I had a crystal ball, I’d just tell the lads, 'Hop in the jacuzzi, see you tomorrow.'"
On a brighter note, Arteta also updated fans about the recovery of key central defender William Saliba, who has returned to grass training:
"It’s now been over a week since he’s been back on the training pitch. He is managing his running load and is gradually getting back to full fitness. We hope to integrate him with the main group over the next few weeks."
