Mikel Arteta is set to receive a significant injury boost ahead of some key Arsenal fixtures (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is set to receive a significant injury boost ahead of a crucial run of fixtures for his Premier League title-chasing side.
Declan Rice set alarm bells ringing during last Saturday’s 5-0 win over Crystal Palace when he left the field with 20 minutes remaining, complaining of a hamstring injury.
Arteta was hopeful that the injury wasn’t a serious one when he was asked about the England midfielder’s condition, and the early indications are that he will be available for next week’s game at Nottingham Forest.
Arsenal have lost on their last two visits to the City Ground and the 1-0 defeat they suffered their last season officially ended their hopes of winning the title.
The presence of Rice, who suffered only muscle tightness, according to MailSport, will no doubt represent a significant shot in the arm for Arsenal, who are still without long-term absentee Thomas Partey.
In further positive news, Jurrien Timber continues to make impressive progress in his recovering from the cruciate knee ligament injury he suffered against Forest on the opening day of the campaign.
The summer signing from Ajax had caught the eye during pre-season with some hugely encouraging performances, particularly against Manchester City in the Community Shield.
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Jurrien Timber is making solid progress in his recovery from a serious knee injury (Picture: Getty)
Having recovered from surgery, the Netherlands international is now close to being able to train with the rest of the first team group for the first time since August.
While there remains several obstacles to overcome, it is now hoped that the versatile defender will have recovered in time to feature in the run-in.
Arsenal, meanwhile, rediscovered their shooting boots against the Eagles with Gabriel Martinelli scoring a brace and Leandro Trossard ending his 10-game run without a goal.
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Arteta now has another week to prepare for the trip to Nottingham and he hopes the rest will do his players the power of good.
‘At the moment we are really short in numbers, so we really have to manage a few players, especially players that have played a lot of football,’ he said.
‘We have good training blocks, one to train really hard and other ones to use for game preparation, so we’re going to have to try to maximise that space.’
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The Gunners have some crucial fixtures ahead.