Detailed report by Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s injury news and return dates
Arsenal fans are still waiting to see Emile Smith Rowe after the midfielder’s return from injury. The 22-year-old was an unused substitute in both Arsenal’s games against Aston Villa and Leicester.
With the north Londoners set to host Everton at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, Mikel Arteta may opt to rotate his starting lineup and rest players like Martin Odegaard or Granit Xhaka, giving Smith Rowe some playing time.
However, the Hale End graduate is not the only Arsenal player who has recently been to the doctor. Thomas Partey came off the bench for a brief appearance against Villa, while Gabriel Jesus recovers from a nasty knee injury.
Thomas Partey
Partey missed several games due to a muscular problem, but the 29-year-old made his return in the win over Leicester. He came on for Martin Odegaard with just over five minutes remaining in the second half.
“The question mark on Thomas,” Arteta said. He hasn’t had much training, but he appears to be available. Let us see how he performs today. We’ve missed him in recent games and hope to see him again.”
Everton (H) – March 1st is the expected return date.
Emile Smith Rowe
Smith Rowe’s season has been hampered by groyne problems, with the 22-year-old making only five Premier League appearances so far this season. The talented playmaker did make a comeback as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur and Oxford United.
However, he did not play in the FA Cup match against Manchester City.
Bookmakers Ratings understands he had a thigh strain and was kept out as a precaution. This problem also kept him out of games against Everton, Brentford, and Manchester City, but he did come off the bench against Aston Villa and Leicester.
Everton (H) – March 1st is the expected return date.
Gabriel Jesus
After suffering medial ligament damage while playing for Brazil against Cameroon in the World Cup group stages, Jesus returned to London for knee surgery, with the expectation that he will be out for at least another month.
Speaking to former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at the Emirates Stadium last month, Jesus admitted he hopes to be back on the pitch in ‘four to five weeks’.
“He’s doing really well, he’s been doing quite a lot of work on the ball already, and his rehab is going well,” Arteta said. Unfortunately, no [in terms of a timeframe]. Ask the doctor if he can give you one.
“The knee’s not reacting so it’s really positive. We want him back as soon as possible while also adhering to the timetable provided by the doctors and specialists.”
The expected return date is March.
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny started and played the entire 90-minute game against Oxford United in the FA Cup. The Egyptian, however, was missing from Arteta’s squad for the 2-0 win at Tottenham, with a knee injury picked up in training ahead of the game being assessed. Furthermore, there was no room on the bench to face Manchester United.
A club statement issued earlier this month confirmed that the former Basel player will be out for an extended period of time, though no timetable for his return was provided. Elneny has since signed a new contract with Arsenal as he prepares to return.
Date of expected return: N/A