Arsenal injury update: Declan Rice, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber latest news and return dates. Gunners dealing with selection crisis ahead of crunch period in title battle…

Arsenal injury update: Latest news on Declan Rice, William Saliba, and Jurrien Timber, including return dates.

Gunners facing a selection crisis as they approach a critical phase in the title race.

Arsenal is grappling with several significant injury issues as they enter a vital few weeks in the Premier League title competition.

Jurrien Timber has become the most recent player to be sidelined, having missed Wednesday’s Champions League victory over Club Brugge. During that match, Christian Norgaard had to step in as an emergency centre-back due to William Saliba’s unavailability, along with Gabriel and Cristhian Mosquera both being out.

Declan Rice was also absent in Belgium due to illness, adding to the team’s fitness concerns. Arsenal also lacked Leandro Trossard and Max Dowman but demonstrated the depth and strength of their squad with a solid 3-0 win.

The Gunners are now refocusing on the Premier League, aiming to reignite their title challenge following last weekend’s last-minute 2-1 loss to Aston Villa.

That defeat has opened up the title race, and with Manchester City now trailing by just two points, Arsenal is facing a critical series of matches.

They will host bottom-placed Wolves on Saturday evening, followed by an away match against Everton on December 20, and then a rearranged Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace on December 23.

Post-Christmas, Arsenal will have home fixtures against Brighton and Aston Villa, understanding that this stretch could be pivotal for their title aspirations. Here’s the latest on Arsenal’s injury situation and expected return dates ahead of the weekend.

Declan Rice

Rice raised alarms among Arsenal supporters when he was absent from an open training session at London Colney on Tuesday before the Club Brugge match.

Mikel Arteta clarified that the midfielder, who had to leave the game against Brentford on December 3 due to a calf issue, did not sustain a new injury but was instead dealing with illness.

“Declan was ill,” Arteta stated on Tuesday. “He was quite sick after the [Villa] game, and he hasn’t traveled with us.

“He will have a few days to recuperate and get his body back in shape. However, even today, he was eager to play. Unfortunately, that’s not possible for him right now.”

After a midweek break, Rice is aiming to make a comeback against Wolves, although Arteta was not revealing much about the England star’s condition on Friday.

“Let’s assess his situation today,” the Spaniard remarked. “He was unwell, which is an illness that typically resolves in a few days, but we need to wait and see.”

Expected return date: Saturday, December 13, vs Wolves (H)

Jurrien Timber

Timber was omitted from the squad for the match against Club Brugge as he became the latest Arsenal defender to suffer an injury.

Arteta disclosed that both Timber and Riccardo Calafiori endured “serious knocks” during the match against Aston Villa last weekend.

Calafiori, who is suspended for the Wolves match, was on the bench in Belgium, but Arteta indicated it was “too soon” for Timber.

“They both faced challenges over the weekend, two significant knocks,” Arteta stated. “And for Jurrien, it was premature.”

In another update regarding Timber ahead of the Wolves match, Arteta mentioned: “Again, it depends on how he feels today.

“He sustained a knock, and he wasn’t feeling at ease. So, I believe it’s just a matter of days, but whether it’s tomorrow or not, we’ll find out.”

Expected return date: Saturday, December 13, vs Wolves (H)

William Saliba

Saliba has been sidelined since he sustained an initially unclear injury during training just before the 1-1 draw against Chelsea at the end of November.

Arteta mentioned twice last week that Saliba was only a few “days” away from returning, but he missed the defeat against Villa and was also unprepared to face Club Brugge.

“We need to wait and see,” Arteta commented on Saliba on Friday, confirming that the issue originated from the ankle injury he sustained against Liverpool in August. “Yesterday we didn’t train, so we have an additional day before this afternoon; let’s see if he can be available or not.”

“It remains unchanged. If you inquired about the Everton match, I believe he will be ready; for tomorrow, I cannot say.”

Potential return date: Saturday, December 13, against Wolves (H) or Saturday, December 20, against Everton (A)

Leandro Trossard

Trossard was absent for the Club Brugge match due to a calf injury that has been bothering him in recent weeks.

He first incurred the injury during the game against Bayern Munich last month and subsequently missed matches against Chelsea and Brentford.

Trossard made his return as a substitute at Aston Villa, coming on at half-time and scoring quickly, but he was substituted again later in the match.

The manager provided a familiar update on Trossard on Friday, stating: “Once again, this is a matter of days. It may sound repetitive, but it’s the truth, so we are uncertain.”

Potential return date: Saturday, December 13, against Wolves (H) or Saturday, December 20, against Everton (A)

Gabriel

Arsenal has been without Gabriel since he sustained an adductor injury while representing Brazil a month ago.

Initially, there were concerns that he might be sidelined until January, and Arteta lamented the loss of “the leader of our defense.”

Arteta’s most recent update on Gabriel was provided at the beginning of the month, where he mentioned: “Big Gabi is progressing well, but it will still be weeks.”

Potential return date: Late December/January

Cristhian Mosquera

Mosquera has been ruled out until the New Year due to what Arteta referred to as a “complicated” ankle injury.

No specific timeline has been given for his return, but reports suggest that Arsenal fears he could be out for six to eight weeks.

“He will be unavailable for weeks, unfortunately; it’s much longer than we anticipated,” Arteta remarked. “However, the player was experiencing discomfort, so he will be out for weeks.”

Potential return date: Unknown

Max Dowman

Dowman is expected to be sidelined for two months after suffering ankle ligament damage.

The 15-year-old sustained the injury during a closed-door Under-21 friendly against Manchester United at St George’s Park last weekend.

Dowman is not anticipated to need surgery; however, Arsenal has confirmed that he has been removed from their Champions League roster and replaced by Gabriel Jesus.

Arteta stated: “With Max, unfortunately, he sustained an injury last weekend and had to leave the field, so we conducted some scans, and he will be sidelined for several weeks.”

Expected return date: February

Kai Havertz

Havertz is still not prepared to make a comeback after experiencing a setback in his recovery from a knee injury incurred during the opening weekend of the season, which necessitated surgery.

In his most recent update regarding Havertz at the beginning of the month, Arteta mentioned: “A matter of weeks. Let’s observe how it progresses in the upcoming weeks.”

Expected return date: Late December/January