Mikel Arteta has provided new injury updates on Ethan Nwaneri, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka before the Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest. The Gunners were dealt a damaging title blow this past weekend after being beaten by West Ham.
A challenging trip to the City Ground now awaits for Arteta and his players with third-place Forest having the chance to close the gap down to three points. The Mikel Merino striker experiment failed against the Hammers, but Arteta could be forced to deploy him there again.
In the late stages, Ethan Nwaneri appeared to pull up as he was taken off, however Arteta believed it was not because of injury.
Arteta later confirmed there was no issue while also offering updates on Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. “Yeah, Ethan, he was just cramping,” he said on Tuesday. “Obviously, his load has been very different in recent weeks, but he’s fine. And Bukayo and Gabi, yeah, they are progressing really well, but they’re still a bit far to come back.”
There is hope the pair can return after the March international break which means they could still miss several huge games. “That’s a question for the doctor,” he told football.london during a press conference earlier this month when asked if they could play against PSV in the Champions League last-16 next month.
