Mikel Arteta provides Arsenal injury update ahead of West Ham clash

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided an injury update ahead of the club’s Premier League clash against West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.

The Gunners are currently top of the standings but their advantage over Manchester City has been cut down to six points after the 2-2 draw at Liverpool.

With Pep Guardiola’s side having a game in hand, Arsenal have no room to slip up. Arteta will be aiming for another victory against the Hammers on the road.

Ahead of the game, the Gunners boss has revealed that William Saliba continues to remain on the sidelines with a back injury picked up against Sporting.

The Frenchman has yet to return to first-team training but the manager remains hopeful that he will be available for selection in the ‘next few weeks’.

Meanwhile, Arteta revealed that Eddie Nketiah should be involved again, having completely recovered from the ankle injury sustained before the Bournemouth game.

He told Arsenal.com: “William is still not available. He’s progressing well and we are hopeful we’ll have him available in the next few weeks, but we’ll have to see.

“He’s not far from starting to do that [return to training]. Obviously we need to be cautious because of the injury, but he’s evolving well.

“Eddie is back and is fully fit now. We want our players to be as fit as possible and available.”

Arsenal have exceeded expectations over the course of the Premier League campaign but there is still a lot of work to be done to end their 19-year wait for the title.

Nketiah’s availability is a huge boost. The Gunners now have Nketiah and Leandro Trossard, who are capable of providing goals off the bench in the coming games.

However, fans should be concerned over Saliba’s prolonged absence. It is more than a month since the Frenchman got sidelined and there is no return date.

Judging by Arteta’s comments, the central defender may not be available until May but hopefully, that’s not the case. Arsenal will need him for the away trip to City.

The game on April 26th could be a potential title decider. City have beaten Arsenal in the last 11 league meetings. The Gunners face a huge test of their credentials.