Mikel Arteta is in line to receive triple Arsenal fitness boost for start of pre-season training: To begin pre-season training, Arsenal’s senior players, including Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney, will report back on Monday.
Due to calf and knee injuries, they were unable to play the final two months of the 2021/22 season. Considering they had been automatic starters under Mikel Arteta when available, this left many supporters wondering what could have been in the top-four race had one – let alone both – managed to stay fit.
There will be a glimmer of hope for Arsenal fans when the first images of their senior players back in training are released early next week, following a dismal season in which they finished seventh.
Since the Scotland international himself recently revealed that he planned to resume training at the end of June following knee surgery that cut short his season in 2021/22 earlier than he had hoped, the odds of him being there are quite good.
On your own, working out for long periods of time is difficult, but you must persevere. Feeling sorry for yourself is pointless. Nobody should feel sorry for me,” he declared. Finally, I’m grateful to be a professional football player, and I never take that for granted. The physiotherapists have a field day with me. I’m always nagging them to hurry up and get me back. Also, I’m a lousy audience member. Inability to assist the team in any manner. I despise it to the core. My goal is to be back in time for the start of preseason at Arsenal at the end of June. That’s what I’m aiming for. The treatment I’m receiving is going well.
A full pre-season schedule suggests that Partey has a better chance of making the team than Tierney, who returned to full training at the end of last season, but was not risked for the final game against Everton. This is understandable, given that he didn’t have any national team obligations with Ghana.
In addition to Benjamin White, Arteta could get a boost from Monday’s game. Gareth Southgate dropped him from the squad for England’s Nations League matches against Hungary, Germany, and Italy. He will be available for preseason if he recovers from his injury.
Since they were all called up by their respective countries earlier in the month but failed to play, fellow centre back Gabriel Magalhaes, right back Takehiro Tomiyasu and winger Nicolas Pepe could be in the same boat as White.
Bernd Leno, Eddie Nketiah, Cedric Soares, Rob Holding, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and returning loanees Hector Bellerin, Pablo Mari, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Alex Runarsson, and Reiss Nelson are among the other first-team players likely to be in attendance at London Colney for the start of preseason training this week…
William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Granit Xhaka have all been given extra time off to recuperate, so they won’t be reporting for duty at London Colney until at least a week after the June 27 deadline.
A friendly against FC Nurnberg is scheduled for July 8 at the Max-Morlock Stadion in Germany as the Gunners’ first trip abroad. Chelsea and Everton face each other in their second pre-season tour of the United States on July 13th, when they return to London.
Football.london understands that the club is hoping to arrange a behind-closed-doors friendly in between the Emirates Cup clash with La Liga outfit Sevilla on July 30 and the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.
