Mikel Arteta has quite clearly been pushing his Arsenal squad to the limit in sweltering conditions at their Dubai training camp. The Gunners headed out to the Middle East earlier this week following Carabao Cup elimination at the hands of Newcastle with a rare 10-day break on their calendar.
Having been knocked out of the FA Cup and avoided a Champions League play-off tie, some warm-weather training has been on the agenda all while other Premier League clubs play twice. Following their cup tie away at Plymouth Argyle, Liverpool also face Everton in the Merseyside Derby before Arsenal return to action against Leicester.
Arteta has already been handed several injury boosts from the trip overseas with Ben White returning to training while Bukayo Saka also made the journey to continue his rehabilitation. Gabriel Martinelli joined his teammates as opposed to remaining at London Colney but his hamstring injury looks set to keep him out for a month.
White absence explained
Despite being spotted back out on the grass in team training for the first time in nearly three months, White can not clearly be seen in any of the 32 training photos uploaded to Arsenal’s official website.
Given the amount of action he has missed, it is very possible Arteta is managing his load with the defender perhaps joining Saka indoors. It is however, plausible that a minor setback has been suffered with several players experiencing that upon returning from long-term injuries.