Mikel Arteta confessed he could only be ‘vague’ about the fitness of Declan Rice ahead of Sunday’s Premier League showdown against Chelsea.
Arsenal’s club-record signing missed the midweek defeat against Inter in the Champions League with subsequent reports claiming he is nursing a broken toe.
Rice is said to be ready to play through the pain barrier in an effort to help his side end a miserable run of form which has seen them lose touch with league leaders Liverpool and surrender an unbeaten start to their European campaign.
;I have to be very vague on that one because there is no clarity, if he is going to be fit or not for the weekend,’ said Arteta.
‘He hasn’t trained yet and it is not clear yet whether he is going to be available.’
Arteta did appear a little more hopeful on the prospect of Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino being able to feature against Chelsea after both failed to complete 90 minutes in midweek.
He added: ‘[We have to] wait to see how they react. Kai’s was quite a nasty cut. Mikel wasn’t feeling great and we decided to substitute him at half-time.’
Arsenal were at least boosted on Wednesday by the sight of Martin Odegaard making a return as a late substitute.
The club skipper had missed 12 games since he damaged ankle ligaments playing for his country in September but Arteta will hope Odegaard’s comeback can coincide with an upturn in results.
‘Everybody that is in the squad will be fit and available to start the game,’ said Arteta when asked if Odegaard was ready to start. ‘Then it is a decision to see if it is too early.’
‘It’s about the collective and everybody taking ownership,’ he added. ‘Certainly having a player like Martin helps because he has shown what an impact he has over the last four, five years.
‘Let’s see how he goes, how he trains tomorrow. He’s available, he’s fit, then we make the decision.
‘He’s always very close and active with the team. He knows his role and responsibility. It is different but the team had no issues at all.
‘We have to adapt a lot this season because we have a lot of injuries.
‘That is something the team is learning and adapting to. A lot of the times it has worked and a lot of times something is missing. The team has the capacity to adjust.’
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