Arteta Provides Injury Update Ahead of Nottingham Forest Clash: Rice and Saka Available, White to Miss Months
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta faced the press on Friday afternoon, providing crucial updates on his squad ahead of Saturday's match against Nottingham Forest. While the Gunners received some positive news with key players returning to fitness, there was a significant setback regarding Ben White’s injury.
Arteta confirmed that White will be out for several months due to a knee issue that has been troubling the defender for some time. "Ben is going to be out for months," Arteta said. "It’s been different kinds of struggles. It’s never been the same thing, and it’s not been improving. It got to a point where we had to protect the player and let him have surgery."
The manager continued, emphasising that the decision to go ahead with surgery was necessary for White's long-term health. "We know Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to a point where we had to protect the player, and we decided to do the surgery. He agreed with that. And that’s obviously going to keep him out for a few months."
Despite the loss of White, Arteta was able to share more promising news about several other key players. Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, and Riccardo Calafiori have all recovered from their respective injuries and are available for selection for Saturday's match. "They’ve had their first session today and are very good," Arteta confirmed.
However, it wasn't all positive news on the injury front, as Kieran Tierney remains unavailable, and Takehiro Tomiyasu is set to miss more time. "Kieran isn’t ready yet, and Takehiro is going to be out for a little while," Arteta added.
As Arsenal prepare to take on Nottingham Forest, the manager remains optimistic about the team's ability to handle the challenges posed by injuries, especially with key players returning to the fold.
"We’re always working with what we have, and we trust in the squad," Arteta said with confidence. "But of course, it’s a big challenge with these injuries, and we just have to adapt."
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