Arsenal manager Mikel Artera provides injury update on 5 players ahead of Leicester City clash
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta provided a fitness update on Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe, Kieran Tierney and Reiss Nelson ahead of their game against Leicester City.
The Gunners will head into the clash on the back of an impressive 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in their season opener last weekend.
Arteta's side cruised to victory thanks to impressive performances from Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and William Saliba.
The club went into the game against Patrick Vieira's side without a number of first-team regulars, including the likes of Tomiyasu and Smith Rowe due to injuries. New signing Vieira was unable to make his competitive debut due to a niggle.
Kieran Tierney missed the latter stages of last season due to a serious knee injury. The Scotland international came on as a second-half substitute against Palace as Arteta seemingly opted to ease him back into action.
The Spaniard provided an injury update on Tomiyasu, Vieira, Smith Rowe, Tierney, and youth academy product Nelson. The Englishman is expected to become a prominent member of the Gunners' first-team after his impressive spell on loan at Feyenoord last season.
The 22-year-old scored four goals and provided seven assists in 32 matches across all competitions for the Dutch side.
As per Football.london, Arteta said:
"They've [Viera, Tomiyasu and Smith Rowe] been reintegrated into training this week all of them. Some of them will be in the squad tomorrow. He [Tierney] played 15/20 mins last week and did really well. He looks in perfect condition now and ready to go."
"He [Nelson] felt something in training and the doctor came with bad news. Hopefully he will be back soon."
Fabio Vieira
Our latest training edit ahead of #ARSLEI is now LIVE 
✅ Fabio Vieira
✅ Kieran Tierney
✅ Takehiro Tomiyasu
📺 Our latest training edit ahead of #ARSLEI is now LIVE 👇
Zinchenko and Ben White could retain their places in Arsenal's starting line-up despite Tomiyasu and Tierney's return from injury.
The duo produced solid displays last weekend as they were able to deal with the threat posed by Palace's forwards and maintained possession on the ball whilst going forward.
Arsenal's midfield continues to be the major source of concern
Arsenal have strengthened their attack this summer by signing Jesus, Vieira and Marquinhos. They have bolstered their defensive options strength by acquiring Zinchenko and retaining Saliba, who spent the last three seasons on loan at Saint-Etienne, Nice, and Marseille.
The club's lack of quality in midfield remains a source of concern for their fans. The Gunners lack an adequate partner for Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey. Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny have been in fine form over the last six months. However, the duo have lacked consistency during their time with the Gunners and do not possess the ball-playing skills required to be regular starters.
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As per Teamtalk, Arteta's side have been heavily linked with a move for Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans. The Belgian has just one year left on his contract and could therefore be available for a bargain price. However, the report suggests Arsenal are yet to make an offer for the 25-year-old.
The Belgian has 24 goals and an equal number of assists in 159 matches across all competitions for the Foxes.
The north London club will be keen to complete a move for the central midfielder or another ball-playing midfielder with the summer transfer window closing soon.