Arsenal’s preparations for Saturday’s meeting with Fulham were rocked by the absence of both defender Ben White and midfielder Martín Zubimendi from training on Thursday.
The Gunners claimed top spot in the Premier League before the international break after Liverpool’s 2–1 defeat to Chelsea, and Mikel Arteta will be hopeful of retaining that position with a victory over a Fulham side with just two wins from their first seven games.
Unfortunately for Arteta, it appears as though the boss may have an injury headache on his hands, particularly in midfield. Zubimendi did not take part in Thursday’s open training session, instead watching on from the sidelines alongside sporting director Andrea Berta.
Club captain Martin Ødegaard is already sidelined with a knee injury that is expected to need at least another month out of action, perhaps forcing Arteta to get creative on Saturday against Fulham.
Arsenal are well-stacked in midfield, where Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze are likely starters in two of the three positions in the XI. Mikel Merino is a candidate to fill in, as is Danish international Christian Nørgaard, who completed his first 90 minutes of the campaign on international duty this week.
Meanwhile, White was nowhere to be seen during Thursday’s session. The 28-year-old has been forced to be patient this season, going unused in Arsenal’s last four Premier League matches after losing his spot at right back to Jurrien Timber.
An injury for White, who missed a large portion of last season with a knee issue, would limit the depth available to Arteta at the back, although he could be replaced on the bench by the returning Piero Hincapié.
Hincapié, a summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen, has missed the last five matches with a groin problem and was back in training this week, expected to feature in Saturday’s matchday squad.
Forwards Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz remain out of action, but there is hope that both players could return before next month’s international break.
READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Sweating Over Double Injury Blow Ahead of Fulham Trip.