Arsenal fans have been left concerned about Declan Rice's fitness after he was substituted during the 1-0 win over Hull City, with Martin Odegaard scoring the winner. The England international was replaced by Mikel Merino on 63 minutes, prompting questions about whether manager Mikel Arteta had overplayed the midfielder.
Declan Rice's fitness and return
Rice did not appear to be in discomfort when he was taken off, but the substitution followed Arteta having to address suggestions of fatigue for the former West Ham captain. The Gunners boss insisted there was nothing wrong with his midfielder, and he is set to join up with the England squad this week as expected.
"The only player, the only player in this squad that for two games in the Carabao Cup has been left out of the squad," Arteta said, having insisted that Rice was "fine". "At home with two days off. That's my concern. We are really looking after him more than any other season. The way he's training and all the load. That's it. Here are the demands of this football club and you have a player like him. Not only him because there are many others that have even less time."
Potential return date: Saturday November 21, vs Newcastle (A).
Bukayo Saka's quad injury
Bukayo Saka has now missed five games in a row with a quad injury picked up against Bayern Munich. No timeline has been given for his return, though Arteta confirmed the winger's recovery was going well ahead of the Hull fixture.
"The way it happened, it wasn't a really aggressive action," Arteta said of his forward. "So that gives you some hope as well that the tissue will repair in a more efficient and faster way as well and he has some very good symptoms right now. So we have to wait and see."
Potential return date: Unknown.
William Saliba nearing comeback
William Saliba has just returned to training after worsening a pre-existing back injury at the World Cup. He has sat out the entire season so far without having surgery, and recently played a half of a behind-closed-doors friendly, in addition to featuring in an Under-21's match on Sunday and being named in Arsenal's Champions League squad to face Slavia Prague.
"He's in a really good place," Arteta said last week. "The process and the timings and the manner that the injury has been dealt with, especially the feelings that Willy has been having along the way, they have been very, very positive. His evolution has been as expected, which is not always the case. He feels really comfortable. He played 45 minutes behind closed doors last week. He feels ready to go. Whether we use him or not now is a matter of what the team needs."
Potential return date: Saturday November 21, vs Newcastle (A).
