Mikel Arteta confirms major Arsenal boost in new 11-man injury update | OneFootball

Eleven Gunners players dropped out of international duty

Mikel Arteta has defended the number of Arsenal players who withdrew from international duty.

Five of those came after the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, while another five then withdrew after initially joining up with their national squads.

With Martin Odegaard not involved in Norway's matches against the Netherlands and Norway, it made it 11 Arsenal players on the sidelines.

Bukayo Saka was one of 11 Arsenal players to drop out of international duty

The FA via Getty Images

That has drawn criticism but Arteta has defended the dropouts.

Speaking ahead of the Gunners' FA Cup trip to Southampton on Saturday, Arteta said: “We have very good relationships and communication with most of the national teams.

“Certainly with Thomas [Tuchel]. We’ve been extremely supportive all the time. When you have to communicate the state and the moment of every player, we are always very honest.

“In the end there was a medical decision that has to be made. It was clear what the conclusion was.

“When a player is fit and available, he has to play. It makes us very proud that we have that many players in the national team and the players are desperate to play with the national team.

“We are fully supportive of that. When we can do it, we do it.”

Arteta has confirmed Noni Madueke escaped serious injury while playing for England.

Madueke suffered a knee injury in last week's friendly against Uruguay and was seen leaving Wembley with a brace on his left leg.

Noni Madueke suffered a knee injury playing for England

The FA via Getty Images

But scans have confirmed the injury is not as bad as first feared.

Arteta said: “It looked really bad. Noni was really worried, especially after what happened in his other knee a few weeks out and he was out for six weeks. But no, it’s nowhere near that injury. That was really good news.”

Asked if Madueke will only be out for a matter of days, Arteta said: “I think so.”

Odegaard has not played since February 22 due to a knee injury and lost his race against time to recover in time to feature at Wembley in the final against City.

But the Arsenal captain is now closing in on a return as he looks to play his part in the run-in.

Jurrien Timber could also bolster Arsenal's options, having missed the last two matches with a groin issue.

Arteta said of the pair: "Those are in contention to possibly be in the squad."

Eberechi Eze's calf injury ruled him out of the Carabao Cup final and he remains unavailable.

Asked for an update on his progress, Arteta said: “Ebs is out. With Ebs I cannot put a finger [on how long he’ll be out], I don’t know, because he's a special character.”

Piero Hincapie limped off during Ecuador's draw with Morocco, picking up an issue that saw him return to Arsenal straight after that match.

Hincapie, who has established himself as first-choice at left-back, has been ruled out of the Southampton game with what is believed to be a hamstring issue.

Arsenal fans will hope for better news for the rest of the withdrawals.

Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka briefly joined up with the England squad but pulled out the following day.

Tuchel said he did not want to take any "risks" with their fitness, indicating the issues were not serious. The pair are both likely to be rested against Southampton even if they are fit.

That could be the same for William Saliba and Gabriel, who did not fly out to the USA to join up with the France and Brazil squads respectively.

Martin Zubimendi pulled out of Spain duty with discomfort in his right knee and Leandro Trossard has been managing a hip injury, but neither are believed to be major issues.