Injuries – Arsenal: Hector Bellerin, David Luiz, Kieran Tierney…
James Benge reported that the injury Hector Bellerin picked up in Arsenal’s previous fixture against Chelsea is expected to keep him out of the last two games of the season.
Benge added that whilst Mikel Arteta convinced Bellerin to stay last summer, both sides have now accepted it’s time to part ways. There have been no decisions on where the right-back will end up, but he’s looking to move on in the upcoming window.
As a result, it’s very possible that Bellerin’s substitute appearance in the win at Stamford Bridge was his final game for the club.
Hopefully, Bellerin can make a speedy recovery and sort his future as soon as possible. Whether he’s leaving or not, it’s better to sort the situation earlier in the summer, as it will likely affect other business.(injuries)
Right knee. David is making very good progress and is hoping to integrate back into light training with the squad next week.(injuries)
Fortunately, the injury appears not to be serious. Whether Luiz could feature in the Europa League second leg against Villarreal, but it seems he is expected to return in the coming weeks.
Even if Arsenal make the Europa League final, there are still just over three weeks until the end of the season. So if the club are confident Luiz will play again before that, the injury really can’t be that bad.
The team showed some improvement with Luiz in the back four against Newcastle United before his injury. He played his usual progressive long passes, including in the buildup to the first goal.
Most likely, Arsenal are going to miss that option in the Villarreal second leg. But if they make the final, they’ll want him available for Manchester United.(injuries)
Left knee. Kieran continues to make positive progress and is hoping to be back in training within two to three weeks.
When Arsenal said that Kieran Tierney would be back in four-to-six weeks, most people thought that meant an end to his season, even if the club wasn’t saying that. There are only six weeks left, after all, at the time. But, of course, that would be a normal player, and Tierney is anything but normal.
Tierney had already missed 28 Arsenal games prior to his last injury, including six games from January 19, 2021, because of another knee problem.
In the end, Tierney missed seven games and returned for Arsenal’s second leg against Villarreal.(injuries)
