Martin Odegaard was left on the bench for Arsenal’s win over Sheffield Utd (Photo: Getty)
Mikel Arteta has given a concerning update on injured Arsenal trio Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey.
Following their 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United, there’s little time for Arsenal to rest as they prepare for a Carabao Cup clash at West Ham on Wednesday night.
Some rotation is expected, especially with a tricky trip to Newcastle in the Premier League coming up on Saturday, but Arteta is now having to manage his squad even more carefully with three key players on the sidelines.
Foward Jesus and defensive midfielder Partey picked up muscle injuries last week and were expected to be be out been out for a few weeks, while attacking midfielder Odegaard was, surprisingly, an unused sub for the win over the Blades.
It was later revealed that the Gunners captain is dealing with a slight hip problem, with his manager deciding not to risk the 24-year-old, with Emile Smith Rowe coming into the starting XI.
It was thought that the Norway skipper would be back in contention to start, but Arteta’s comments in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, suggests he needs longer to recover.
‘Well we rest him the other day, so it’s how long we rest him and how we now manage the minutes and the rhythm that he needs to be at his best.
There is no timeframe for Gabriel Jesus’ return from injury (Photo: Getty)
‘We had the opportunity the other day but we didn’t use him in the end and that was a good offload for him.
‘There are a lot of things you have to do [besides rest]. It’s impossible to play without niggles in football. Not at this level when you have games every few days. Impossible.
‘If you try to do that you better stay in bed because I don’t know any players who are constantly perfect and in the best possible condition.’
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Arteta also confirmed that Jesus and Partey will definitely miss the trip to the London Stadium, but worryingly was not able to give a clear indication of when the pair would be back on the pitch.
He added: ‘With him [Jesus], honestly there is no [timeframe]. I did once and I got it wrong. We have to be cautious.
‘I think he [Partey] will be out for weeks. I don’t know how long, he has another appointment today.’
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