Bukayo Saka and eight other Arsenal players set for extra training during international break

Arsenal have watched as the bulk of their squad have now departed their custodianship to join up with their respective nations. From the youth ranks of the England teams with Tommy Setford and Max Dowman, to Myles Lewis-Skelly getting his first senior England call-up and even some of the fringe players like Jakub Kiwior joining up with Poland, plenty have now left the Sobha Realty Training Centre. There are, however, plenty still at London Colney.

Mikel Arteta will be working with a small group of players which includes nine of the senior squad. However, of those nine, four are suffering from injuries which will mean the bulk of their work will be continuing their respective rehabilitation and recovery programs.

Kai Havertz, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Jesus all underwent procedures this year that will see them miss the rest of this season and for the latter pair, a bulk of the next campaign, too. Havertz is expected to be looking to return for the start of the next season.

Bukayo Saka, however, has already been doing some work with the ball and is the closest of the injured group to returning. He is targeting a return for the Champions League ties with Real Madrid.

When asked what Saka would be doing during this fortnight away from domestic football, Arteta obliged in giving some insight. "He is going to be here [at the Arsenal training ground], hopefully more with ball at his feet than he has had,” Arteta said in his pre-Chelsea press conference.

"That will mean he is passing the ball and shooting and running and everything. He has done quite a lot already on the pitch working on his own.

"Next we need to arrange it with people around him in a more competitive training session and see how he goes with that. He's getting closer, he's stepping up and making a very good progress, I would say.

"So let's see when we start to throw him in with the team how he reacts and how fit he can get quickly."

Of those who are fit and can train, this includes goalkeeper Neto, defender Ben White, midfielder Jorginho and forwards Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Martinelli. The latter was included in the preliminary list of forwards for the March matches for Brazil but was eventually left out of the final list, unlike teammate Gabriel Magalhaes.

Perhaps it will be these five who help Saka with his recovery along with a host of youth players that are still with the team and train regularly with the senior stars. Arteta will be working with under-21s boss Mehmet Ali and under-18s coach Adam Birchall closely over this next fortnight.

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