Mikel Arteta has had another decisive week on the Arsenal training facility as the 2023/24 season comes to an end. With two games remaining on their schedule, the Gunners still have a lot to play for, with the Premier League title race against Manchester City set to be decided on the final day.

Pep Guardiola’s side begins the weekend’s matchups at Craven Cottage against Fulham, with Arsenal finishing just over 24 hours later against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Gunners have been fortunate with injuries in recent weeks, with only Jurrien Timber out, but that could change on Sunday.

Takehiro Tomiyasu skipped a session earlier this week, and Bukayo Saka was present but had extensive strapping on his leg. Before the match against Manchester United, Arteta was asked specifically about the two, and his response was appropriately guarded.

“A few doubts over the names [Saka and Tomiyasu] that you discussed, yes,” he remarked during a press conference. “We can resolve this with another training session. So we’ll see. With that said, football.london has compiled the most recent series of photos from the activity at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.

Double injury concern

Following on from the previous concerns about Saka and Tomiyasu, Arsenal fans would not have had their fears allayed on Friday.

Arteta’s remark was unclear, as expected, and the duo were also missing from the 20 photographs posted on Arsenal’s official website prior to the match against Manchester United. However, it should be noted that clubs frequently omit injury doubts out of training images in order to avoid giving opponents an advantage.

Rice ache

Arteta will be urgently hoping that no more crucial players are injured before Sunday’s game, with Declan Rice maybe the one guy he will struggle to replace.

The England international has been a mainstay since coming from West Ham last summer, starting 35 out of 36 Premier League games. As a result, a single sighting during a recent training session would have been cause for concern.

A grimace on Rice’s face was visible when he dribbled the ball, but the depth of his suffering is unknown because it is a still image. In the best-case scenario, the cameras caught him just as he was being told that a decision had not gone his way.

Odegaard’s Early Shower

During Friday’s training, the Arsenal players will definitely have needed to stay refreshed and hydrated in the hot weather.

Any concerns about club captain Martin Odegaard becoming too hot were alleviated when he was photographed deep in the sprinklers at London Colney, having an early shower.