Arsenal have received a timely triple injury boost as Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie all returned to training at London Colney. The trio had each been sidelined and were unavailable for international duty during the break.
All three were spotted training as the rest of Mikel Arteta's squad prepare for the Premier League's return next weekend. Arsenal host Leeds in the early kick-off on Saturday, October 10.
Defensive reinforcements ahead of Leeds clash
The Gunners are aiming to bounce back from their first defeat of the season, a 3-0 loss at Brighton last month. With William Saliba out due to a long-term injury, Arteta will welcome the added defensive depth.
White and Mosquera have both been out with hamstring injuries, missing one and five games respectively. Hincapie was on the bench against Brighton while recovering from a muscle problem but is now back in full training, as shown in footage shared by Arsenal.
Mixed news on the injury front
There is less positive news elsewhere, however. Christos Tzolis picked up an injury in Greece's 2-2 draw at home to the Netherlands on Thursday and reportedly faces three weeks out.
Saliba, meanwhile, is understood to be targeting a return in November. Arteta recently stressed the need for patience, saying: "He is in rest mode at the moment. He had to do almost nothing, an aggravated injury, so it's going to take some time to heal. We know that."
Busy run of fixtures ahead
Arteta will need to use his squad's depth during a demanding run of nine games in 27 days. The reigning Premier League champions begin by welcoming Leeds to the Emirates before hosting Lille in the Champions League three days later.
Trips to Nottingham Forest and Bayern Munich come next, followed by a home game against Everton. Arsenal then resume their Carabao Cup campaign at Fleetwood Town before facing Liverpool, Slavia Prague and Hull City.
Arteta wants his players to use the Brighton defeat as fuel for another winning run, having won each of their first six games in all competitions this season. "We need to feel the pain," the Gunners boss said. "Today we need to take this lesson very, very seriously because it's going to happen. I think we need to look at it in isolation first and get the learnings and then we can put it into the overall picture."
