Zinchenko and Saliba were ruled out for entire season. The season-ending injuries to Oleksandr Zinchenko and William Saliba have dealt a serious blow to Arsenal’s title chances. Takehiro Tomiyasu, the Japanese fullback who suffered an injury in March, is already absent from manager Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Arsenal will now have to play their remaining three games of the season without their two key players, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic. In the fight for the championship, Manchester City trails the Gunners by one point, but the Citizens have a game left to play and may increase their lead to four points.
The two players will not need surgery, so it’s not all terrible news for Arsenal. Before the 2023–24 season begins, they can return for preseason and be fully fit.
Saliba has been sidelined with a back injury sustained earlier this season while playing in the UEFA Europa League against Sporting CP. The Frenchman’s injury has caused the Gunners to lose ground in the title battle and lose points. In 27 Premier League games, he assisted them in keeping 12 clean sheets.
Zinchenko missed last weekend’s victory over Newcastle United because of a calf issue. Last summer, Arteta acquired the services of the Ukrainian fullback from Manchester City.
Willian Saliba’s recovery did not go as planned:
Last month, Mikel Arteta discussed William Saliba and stated that the Frenchman’s situation was not favorable. He indicated that the defender was not recuperating as quickly as they had anticipated, and The Mirror reported him as saying: “Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much progress on him, so we’re still waiting. Though another week has passed, he hasn’t been able to train with the team despite our continued optimism. We don’t currently have him. Without him, we are preparing for the game, and it will likely be too soon for the next one as well. At this time, we must proceed week by week.”
Saliba and Gabriel played a significant role in the defensive core this season. He spent the majority of his time on loan in Ligue 1 before joining the Gunners for his first full season.
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