Arsenal have been handed a triple injury boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Leicester at the weekend.
THE LOWDOWN: SET FOR ACTION
Arsenal are set to welcome a host of stars back to action as they prepare for their next Premier League outing against Leicester City.
The Gunners started their season on a positive note after claiming a 2-0 win away at London rivals Crystal Palace in the opening weekend last Friday. Despite missing a host of first-team names, Arsenal managed to keep Patrick Vieira’s men quiet, with a well-fought victory.
Players like Takehiro Tomiyasu, Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira were all missing from the squad. However, Mikel Arteta could have all three names in contention to start, with the trio now recovered from their injuries and well on track to register full fitness ahead of the weekend.
THE LATEST: TIMELY BOOST
As per The Mirror, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe have all resumed training and were pictured in the club’s session at London Colney on Tuesday.
While Tomiyasu and Smith Rowe are not new names, Arsenal fans will be eager to see new signing Vieira in action. The Portuguese is yet to feature for the Gunners since signing for the club in a £34m deal last month. A foot injury forced him to miss pre-season action but he is now set to be available for selection.
THE VERDICT: COMPETITION IS WELCOME
Arsenal and Mikel Arteta need all hands on deck ahead of a tough season and the return of all three names is a much welcome addition to the squad. Competition for spots is expected to be on the rise and this will present the Spaniard with a positive headache, in terms of naming his best starting lineup.
The biggest headache for Arteta will come in the form of Tomiyasu, who is ideally a designated first-team player. In his absence, Ben White has been deployed at right-back, with William Saliba impressing on his debut to produce a stellar performance that has become a major talking point.
Arteta faces a tough decision on whether to re-instate Tomiyasu back to the starting lineup and leave things as they were, which would mean Saliba gets dropped to the bench. But after a strong start to his Premier League career, the Spaniard might have second thoughts over that decision.
In the end, Arteta cannot keep all players happy and will ultimately have to go with what he feels is the best line of action to keep his team most competitive.