Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Viktor Gyokeres will remain unavailable for the Premier League clash with Sunderland on Saturday, extending the striker’s absence from first-team action.
Gyokeres missed Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Slavia Prague on Tuesday after suffering a hamstring injury in last weekend’s victory at Burnley. The Swedish striker has undergone scans this week and has also been left out of the Sweden squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. His continued absence adds to a growing list of injury concerns for Arteta as Arsenal approach a busy period in both domestic and European competitions.
Arsenal are not in action again until November 23, when they host Tottenham in the North London derby, but the squad will have to manage several key absences in the meantime. Speaking about Gyokeres on Friday morning, Arteta said, “No, no news. We remain the same, nobody new that can join the squad. So, all the same.”
Gyokeres was one of eight first-team players to miss Arsenal’s win over Prague. However, Martin Zubimendi will return for Saturday’s trip to Sunderland after serving his suspension in the Champions League.
Kai Havertz, Martin Ødegaard, and Noni Madueke all remain sidelined with knee injuries, while Gabriel Martinelli is out with a thigh problem. Arteta acknowledged the challenges of managing these absences. “Some of them, all of them I don’t know,” he said. “There are a lot of things that have to happen in the next two weeks, and everything has to be perfect, but I think we’ll be very close with most of them to be in a really strong position.”
Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus returned to full training on Thursday for the first time since undergoing knee surgery in January. It had previously been expected that the striker would not return to action until early next year, but Arteta confirmed he is now working in a more competitive training environment with other first-team players.
Arteta said, “I don’t know. Now is about making the steps day by day in a different surrounding. Obviously, he’s been doing everything on his own, now he’s got players around him, very competitive players around him, and see how he copes with that. But he’s full of energy. I love the reaction of all his team-mates when he first joined us, and yeah, great to have him back.”
Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was also absent during the midweek victory over Slavia Prague after missing training on Monday, adding another wrinkle to Arteta’s squad selection.
The Spaniard faces the challenge of balancing player fitness with the need to maintain Arsenal’s form in the Premier League and Champions League, particularly as injuries continue to limit options in attack and midfield. With Sunderland next up, fans will be eager to see how the squad adapts and whether returning players like Zubimendi and Gabriel Jesus can provide a boost ahead of a crucial run of fixtures later in November.
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