Arsenal injury update: Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe latest news and return dates
Arsenal sit two points clear at the top of the Premier League but have been hit by a fresh injury concern ahead of a hectic December schedule.
Takehiro Tomisayu was forced off against Wolves at the weekend, and is now a doubt for the short trip north of London to Luton on Tuesday.
Concerns over the defender's fitness add to ongoing issues with Thomas Partey, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe and Jurrien Timber.
Here is all the latest Arsenal injury news...
Takehiro Tomiyasu
The defender is a doubt for Tuesday's trip to Luton after being forced off in the 2-1 win over Wolves.
Tomiyasu, who has been one of Arsenal's best players in recent weeks, went down in the final 15 minutes of the game at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday and was left clutching his right calf.
“He felt something,” Arteta said after the game. “I don’t know if it was fatigue. We decided to change straight away and we didn’t want to take any risks. Let’s assess him and see how he is.”
Potential return date: Saturday, December 9 vs Aston Villa
Thomas Partey
It has been a hugely frustrating season for Thomas Partey, who has played just 15 minutes for Arsenal since August.
The midfielder had a procedure on a "significant" thigh injury earlier this month and is expected to be out for at least the rest of the year. It remains to be seen whether he is fit for the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
"I said that hopefully it's going to be weeks and not months and he's working towards that," Mikel Arteta recently said.
"He needs support. Hopefully the injury will heal in the right way and we'll have him back because he is a big player for us."
Potential return date: January 2024
Fabio Vieira
Arteta confirmed last week that Vieira will miss a number of "weeks" following an operation on a groin injury.
It was revealed that Arsenal had tried to deal with the Portuguese midfielder's issue without having to go under the knife for some time before it was accepted that surgery was necessary.
Vieira has undergone surgery and his rehabilitation is now underway.
Potential return date: January 2024
Emile Smith Rowe
Emile Smith Rowe started against Sheffield United at the end of October, in what was his first Premier League start for 524 days.
However, he was unable to build on that as he picked up a knee injury and has been on the sidelines since, with it confirmed at the time that he was facing "weeks" out.
Arteta has confirmed he was "worried" about the situation, but it is hoped that Smith Rowe could be back in first-team contention before the end of the year.
Potential return date: December 2023
Jurrien Timber
There was real excitement about Jurrien Timber's potential in an Arsenal shirt after a hugely encouraging pre-season, but the summer signing suffered an ACL injury on his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest.
Arteta was asked late last month whether Timber will be able to continue his rehabilitation on grass soon, responding: "I hope so.
"Doing what kind of activity that’s something very different. He’s been for a few walks but that’s very far from competing. But he’s in a good place."
Reports in the Netherlands have claimed that Timber could yet miss Euro 2024 next summer, but no timeline on his return has been given.
Potential return date: Unknown