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Saliba now training on grass but Arsenal have 2 new injury absentees
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- Saliba now training on grass but Arsenal have 2 new injury absentees
Saliba now training on grass but Arsenal have 2 new injury absentees
Arsenal's Monday morning training session brought a few noteworthy injury updates, including two absences and William Saliba's involvement in individual training.
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Sam Dean of The Telegraph reports that William Saliba was out on the grass doing individual training at Arsenal's London Colney training ground on Monday morning, but there was no sign of Piero Hincapie or Martin Zubimendi .
Training sessions are held in front of the media the day before Champions League fixtures, allowing the journalists in attendance to get a good look at the players taking part.
But after reports that both Hincapie and Zubimendi suffered injuries in the aftermath of Arsenal's win over Leeds United, it's concerning that neither of them appeared to be involved on Monday.
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Hincapie was very clearly struggling in the post-match warm-down following Saturday's win, as footage showed him needing to be carried from the pitch by Illan Meslier .
The defender could be seen grabbing at his lower leg, and burying his face in his elbow.
There was no such footage for Zubimendi, but reports suggest he also picked up a knock during a small-sided game on the Emirates Stadium pitch following the Leeds match.
The hope was that neither injury would turn out to be too serious, but with no confirmation of that during Monday's training session, fans will now be sweating on the update from Mikel Arteta in his pre-game press conference.
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On the other side of things, it's excellent news that Saliba is continuing to step up his recovery. There have been mixed reports on when exactly the defender will be back, with some claiming November, and others still sticking to a December comeback.
Perhaps Saliba's involvement in individual training at this point in mid-October makes a November return slightly more possible. But Arsenal will be very cautious, and an inclusion in individual training doesn't necessarily mean full squad training sessions will quickly follow.
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