Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to rule any of Kai Havertz, Declan Rice or Leandro Trossard out of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United at the Emirates.
The Gunners had all three hamstring victims take part in training with the team on Wednesday, as Havertz bids to return from his long-term problem before the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
The Germany international has not featured since suffering a serious tear during Arsenal’s mid-season training camp in Dubai, but Arteta expressed hope earlier this month that he would be able to contribute before the end of the season.
Havertz’s participation in open training on Wednesday has fuelled optimism surrounding a potential comeback on Sunday, and Arteta was inevitably questioned on the matter in Friday’s pre-game press conference.
“We’re going to decide that tomorrow,” the Spaniard told reporters when asked whether Havertz would make his comeback against the Magpies. “He’s done certain parts of the session in the last two days.
‘Transformational’ Havertz not ruled out of Newcastle game
“He looks in great shape, but it’s more a question for the medical staff, the doctors giving the clearance and then how Kai feels to contribute if he’s required.
“His work rate, the work that he’s done, and as well a lot of credit to the medical staff. Between them, they have been pushing each other. We know how important Kai is for us.
“He’s improved a lot of the metrics that are very important for a striker, to give himself the best chance, and you can see the transformation in him which is really impressive.”
Joining Havertz on the Emirates pitch in midweek were Rice and Trossard, the former of whom sustained a minor hamstring problem before the 2-2 draw with Liverpool last week, while Trossard pulled up in the second half.
While the pair were seen in practice on Wednesday, Arteta has conceded that they have not trained at 100% capacity and are therefore still uncertain for the battle with the Magpies.
“They’ve done parts of the session, not a complete session, so we’ll have to wait and see tomorrow if they can deal with things that they haven’t done because they weren’t ready to do that earlier in the week,” he added.
Arteta’s emergency options assessed after Rice, Trossard updates
In classic Arteta fashion, the Arsenal boss has remained as tight-lipped as possible when it comes to team news, but there are a few guarantees for this weekend’s visit of Newcastle.
Mikel Merino‘s sending-off last weekend means that he will serve a one-match suspension, while Jorginho, Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu are also still on the sidelines.
With Champions League football also virtually confirmed, Arteta should not take any unnecessary risks with Rice, Havertz and Trossard, so Ethan Nwaneri may get another opportunity to impress in attack.
Oleksandr Zinchenko is seemingly at the head of the queue to deputise for Merino and Rice in midfield, although Myles Lewis-Skelly could also be deployed in that role if Riccardo Calafiori starts at left-back.
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