Mikel Arteta hopes to have Bukayo Saka available for Arsenal's trip to Brighton on Saturday after missing their 2-0 win against Luton.
Saka, 22, was ruled out the Gunners' comfortable victory after suffering an injury during last Sunday's drab 0-0 draw with title rivals Manchester City. But Arteta has revealed that the England international was "close" to featuring, although Arsenal - now top of the Premier League table again - didn't need him thanks to a strike from captain Martin Odegaard and a Daiki Hashioka own goal.
"He was close but again he felt something in a very similar area against City and it was a very short turnaround," Arteta revealed post-match. "Hopefully he'll be able to train again and we can have him for the weekend."
The Gunners boss has received criticism for supposedly overplaying Saka, who's missed more games this season due to injury than throughout his entire senior career previously. The 22-year-old's omission from the squad made headlines before the game, with Arteta telling TNT Sports: "He hasn't been able to do everything that we needed to give him the chance to start the game."
His absence would've been felt more last season but now that Arsenal have a stronger squad, Arteta was able to rely on fringe players to get the job done against Luton, having made four more changes in order to rest players like Declan Rice and Gabriel Martinelli. "It's certainly different to what we had last season," Arteta said of his squad depth.
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"Touch wood we can maintain them. As well that we use them and they are in the right physical and mental state to help the team." The Spaniard added: "When they have their moment they have to take it. They give me every reason every day, regardless of the result. At the end of you have to do what they deserve. Winning or not winning it’s a different story in football."
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Bukayo Saka could be back to face Brighton (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)Two players who came into the starting line-up were Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe, both academy products who've found regular game time hard to come by during Arteta's reign thanks to a combination of injuries and their team-mates' form. Fortunately for the duo, they left their boss impressed.
"It's a joy to have them fit," Arteta emphasised. "If we want to utilise the squad and maximise what we have, they have to play. I though I think they did really well. I think we have won again with good confidence and I think they've been really important for us."
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