TL:DR – Saka, Saliba and Raya absent from Arsenal training ahead of final game
- Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and David Raya missed Arsenal’s training session (1).
- The team is celebrating their first Premier League title in 22 years (2).
- The trio is following individual training programmes, with no concerns regarding their fitness (3).
- Mikel Arteta is expected to rest key players ahead of the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain (4).
- Max Dowman was also absent due to GCSE exams (5).
Why Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and David Raya missed Arsenal training today
Arteta oversaw his first training session since Arsenal were crowned champions today (Picture: Getty)
Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and David Raya were not involved in Arsenal’s first-team training session on Wednesday.
The Gunners have been celebrating their first Premier League title success in 22 years this week after Manchester City’s draw at Bournemouth ended their title challenge.
Arsenal have got the job done with a game to spare and will be handed the trophy at Selhurst Park where they play Crystal Palace on the final day of the season on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta will be expected to rest some of his stars with nothing riding on that game.
Their Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest and their chance to secure a memorable double follows six days later.
Saka, Saliba and Raya, three nailed-on starters for the showdown but did not train with the main group today ahead of the trip to south east London this weekend.
But a club spokesperson has insisted there was ‘nothing to worry about’ regarding the trio, Hayters report, having been placed on individual training programmes.
Saka and Saliba did not train with the group (Picture: Getty)
Max Dowman was also absent with the 16-year-old sitting his GCSE exams this week.
Arsenal handed huge injury boost ahead of Champions League final
Elsewhere, Arsenal have been handed a major boost ahead of the PSG game with Mikel Merino returning to individual training.
The Spain international has played since the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United at the end of January after suffering a foot injury that required surgery.
Merino has not played since the end of January (Picture: Getty)
It was thought the former Real Sociedad star would miss the rest of the season but he could now be available for the match against Palace.