Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided injury updates on four players ahead of the Gunners’ Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest, with their availability varying as they continue to recover from different fitness issues.
Arsenal are looking to maintain pressure on league leaders Manchester City after returning to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Leeds United last weekend.
Providing an update on Piero Hincapie, Arteta said the defender was making good progress but would need another week or two before returning to action.
“Piero is evolving really well. The way he pushes everybody, it’s not going to take long, but he will need another week or two,” Arteta said.
On midfielder Martin Zubimendi, the manager said his condition had improved, adding that a final assessment after the next training session would determine whether he would be available for the Forest clash.
Arteta also offered an encouraging update on Christos Tzolis, revealing that the player had undergone another MRI scan to monitor his recovery.
“Tzolis doing really well. Yesterday he had another MRI scan to see how the injury is evolving. It’s progressing really well. Another one that hopefully we can have back in a few weeks,” he said.
Regarding William Saliba, Arteta said another MRI scan was scheduled for the following week to assess the defender’s healing process.
“Again, I think next week we have another MRI with him to see how the healing process is going. But every sign so far has been very, very positive. It will be good to have him,” he added.
Arsenal will continue to monitor the players’ fitness as they prepare for the trip to Nottingham Forest, with Zubimendi’s availability expected to become clearer after further assessment.