William Saliba, Ben White: Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of Liverpool clash

Arsenal remain eight points clear at the top of the Premier League standings after securing their seventh consecutive league victory on the bounce at the weekend.

The north Londoners defeated Leeds United 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium thanks to strikes from Granit Xhaka, Ben White and a Gabriel Jesus brace just a few hours after second-placed Manchester City had secured a victory over Liverpool by the same scoreline.

Next up for the Gunners is an away fixture against Liverpool, a match that they could yet again be without defender William Saliba, who has missed each of the last two games after suffering a lower back injury during last month’s Europa League disappointment against Sporting CP. Arsenal starlet Bukayo Saka was also left out of the starting line-up on Saturday after manager Mikel Arteta revealed that the talented wideman had been under the weather in the build-up to the match.

Ben White
Ben White is Arteta’s only senior right-back in the squad following Takehiro Tomiyasu’s injury and Cedric Soares’ loan to Fulham until the end of the season. The Spaniard labelled White as a ‘fighter’ after the win against Leeds after he overcame injury problems to play the full 90 minutes.

What Arteta said: “He [White] had some issues in the last few days but he’s a big fighter and he wanted to be here.

“With the injury of Tomiyasu, we are a bit short in that position. He scored a goal as well which is good news for him and he was very good again.”

Bukayo Saka
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed the reason why Bukayo Saka was dropped to the bench for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Leeds United. Before the win against Leeds, Arteta was quizzed on the decision to name Saka on the bench.

He said: “He wasn’t able to train yesterday as he wasn’t well but today he feels a little bit better, so we’ve put Gabby [Jesus] in.” Saka was thrusted into the action just after the hour mark and finished the game with no concerns.

Expected return date: Liverpool (A) – April 9

William Saliba
William Saliba limped off in Arsenal’s exit from the Europa League against Sporting CP, suffering an issue with his back that forced the youngster to be substituted. The Frenchman then missed the clash with Crystal Palace, as well as the aforementioned win over Leeds at the weekend.

According to Daniel Cutts of The Sun, Saliba will miss this weekend’s trip to Anfield. Writing on Twitter, Cutts said: “William Saliba is set to miss Arsenal’s clash at Liverpool on Sunday as he struggles with a back injury.

“He’s not been able to train properly for the last few weeks. Hopes he’ll be back soon though.”

However, football.london understands that the French international was seen walking comfortably through the mixed zone after the match against Leeds on Saturday, similar to what he did after both the Sporting CP and Crystal Palace outings.

What Arteta has said: “We are trying to manage him in the best possible way. Unfortunately he’s not gonna be fit for this game [against Leeds] and we’re trying and he’s trying to do everything to feel better and get back training. But not yet.

“I am very hopeful and he is as well. Back injuries are a bit tricky and how they evolve with the load that you put in certain areas. He’s very positive and the medical staff are positive about it. Let’s push it every day and see how he copes with that and how the pain develops as well. He’s so willing to be back in the team.”

Thomas Partey
Thomas Partey was an unused substitute during Ghana’s African Cup of Nations qualification clash against Angola on Monday evening. The Arsenal midfielder was left out as a ‘precaution’ Ghana boss Chris Hughton revealed after the game but he looks set to face Leeds this weekend.

The north London outfit sent club physio, Simon Murphy, to Ghana with the 29-year-old in a desperate bid to ensure the key midfielder avoids injury on international duty. The Gunners were given a huge boost over the fitness of the midfielder, with pictures showing him present in training ahead of the Leeds tie.

Partey played 60 minutes against Leeds United before being replaced by Jorginho with the three points already secured.

What Arteta has said: “We have a really good relationship with the Ghanaian federation and we have to manage and look after our players.

“They’ve been really positive about it as well. We have to manage our players. It works both ways. He obviously wasn’t fit enough to play the second game but hopefully he’ll be back for the weekend.”

Expected return date: Liverpool (A) – April 9

Kieran Tierney
Kieran Tierney started Scotland’s European championship qualifier against Spain playing a key role in Scott McTominay’s second goal. In the 76th minute, Tierney was forced off after a strong tackle from Manchester City star Rodri.

Tierney was substituted on in the second half of the win against Leeds United, replacing Oleksandr Zinchenko with the three points already guaranteed.

Eddie Nketiah
During Gabriel Jesus’ absence, Nketiah rose to the challenge and fired Arsenal to a number of pivotal wins. However, the Gunners will now be without the Hale End Graduate until after the international break due to an ankle injury, football.london understands.

Nketiah, who sees his contract at the Emirates Stadium expire in 2027, has featured 33 times for Arsenal this season, directly contributing towards 11 goals — four of which came in wins over West Ham, Brighton and Manchester United during the congested schedule over New Years.

What Nketiah has said: Nketiah offered a positive update on his recovery after posting a message on social media ahead of the clash against the Eagles. The Hale End graduate said: “Grafting! muscle emoji #SoonBack.”

Nketiah added another image to his Instagram story with the caption: “Rehab crew, monster mentality brain emoji finger point emoji.”

What Arteta has said: “He’s getting better. He’s still in the boot. He’s still a few weeks away and we need to be patient. It was a nasty injury and he has a big challenge ahead of him. Thank God it could have been worse. So he’s not in a bad place.”

Expected return date: Early/Mid-April

Takehiro Tomiyasu
Takehiro Tomiyasu was substituted inside the first 10 minutes of the Gunners’ clash against Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium. The Japanese defender had overstretched for a tackle early in the match and had to receive treatment on the pitch shortly afterwards and was unable to continue.

The Japan international wasn’t in the squad to face Crystal Palace, with it later confirmed he had undergone knee surgery. Now the medical staff have learned the extent of the defender’s injury.

An official club statement reads: “Tomi has had successful surgery in London on Tuesday and will be ruled out for the remainder of this season. Everyone at the club will now be working hard with Tomi, so he can join pre-season training ahead of next season.”

What Arteta has said: “We don’t know. The doctor is assessing. We have one assessment and I think they need to have another assessment tomorrow. It’s not looking good. Tomi is not one to exaggerate things. He was really concerned straight away and we are concerned.”

Expected return date: June

Mohamed Elneny
Elneny started in the FA Cup win over Oxford United and played the whole 90 minutes. However, the Egyptian was absent for Arteta’s squad for the 2-0 win at Tottenham, with a knee issue picked up in training ahead of the clash being assessed. Additionally, there was no place on the bench to face Manchester United.

A club statement then confirmed that the former Basel man will be out for an extended period of time, although no timescale was given on his expected return. Elneny has since penned a new deal at Arsenal as he closes in on a return.