March 05, (THEWILL) – Mikel Arteta has moved to allay concerns over the fitness of star forwards, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, after both players were substituted during Arsenal’s 6-0 demolition of Sheffield United on Monday night. The emphatic victory extended the Gunners’ sensational English Premier League run in 2024 to seven consecutive wins.
Despite the one-sided scoreline, anxiety was palpable amongst Arsenal supporters when Saka was withdrawn at half-time and Martinelli replaced just after the hour mark, sparking fears of potential injuries to the influential duo. However, Arteta was quick to downplay those worries.
“[Saka] was feeling a bit sick, and as well we have Fabio [Vieira] who we have to give minutes,” explained the Arsenal manager. “It was a great opportunity [to make changes], and then we had a little issue with Gabi Martinelli as well – he had a slight cut on his foot and we have to wait and see how he is.”
In addition to providing an update on Saka and Martinelli’s condition, Arteta welcomed the return of midfield lynchpin Thomas Partey from a lengthy injury layoff. The Ghanaian made his first appearance since early October, playing the final 25 minutes against the Blades.
“Today obviously Thomas is available now to play a certain number of minutes,” Arteta stated. “He needs to build that, because it was his first minutes after four months which is a long time. And then, like everybody, you need to have the right to earn the minutes.”
Fans at the Emirates will be pleased with the gaffer’s updates and will look forward to seeing the trio can prove their fitness ahead of this weekend’s crunch London derby against Brentford at the Emirates and the crucially important tie against champions Manchester City to follow at the end of March.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
