Arsenal handed injury boost as star returns to training ahead of Champions League final | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta may rotate for season finale ahead of major European final

Arsenal have revealed the latest on a number of star players ahead of the Champions League final next weekend.

Mikel Arteta could be tempted to rotate his side for his side’s final Premier League game of the campaign at Crystal Palace this Sunday, with the Gunners already confirmed as champions.

The north Londoners were crowned winners for the first time since 2004 on Tuesday, when Manchester City failed to beat Bournemouth.

In an open training session held on Thursday ahead of the trip to Palace and the upcoming visit to Budapest, three Arsenal stars were not seen with the main group.

Bukayo Saka, David Raya and William Saliba were all not out on the field, but instead undergoing their own respective training plans indoors.

It is believed that there are no injury worries over the trio.

There was a huge boost for the Gunners when Mikel Merino stepped onto the grass, which could spell a potential return from his long-running foot injury that has kept him out since January.

There was a big reception for Merino, as the players formed a tunnel for him to run through and slap him on the back as he returned.

Max Dowman did not feature in training as it is currently exam season for the 16-year-old.

Another who was not with the first-team cohort, however, was Jurrien Timber, who continues his recovery from a groin problem.

The Dutchman has been out since mid-March with an ankle problem and now this groin issue, which has seen him miss the last 12 games in the Gunners’ title run-in.

Arteta has endured a crisis at right-back in recent weeks, with both of his go-to options, Timber and Ben White, both on the treatment table.

White suffered a season-ending MCL injury in the win over West Ham earlier this month.

It will see the former Brighton and Hove Albion man miss the Champions League final, and Cristhian Mosquera has stepped up to fill in in both Timber and White’s absences.

Absent: Jurrien Timber

Getty

Declan Rice also slotted in at right-back at the London Stadium before Mosquera replaced Riccardo Calafiori at half time.

The Arsenal players enjoyed wild celebrations on Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday morning, congregating on the concourse of the Emirates Stadium to celebrate their title victory.

Supporters flocked to the ground on Tuesday evening after the full-time whislte had gone at the Vitality Stadium, with thousands surrounding the Emirates to acknowledge a new piece of the club’s history.

Arteta and his players will be looking to add a European crown to that domestic title next weekend, when they travel to Budapest to take on defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.