Mikel Arteta has confirmed a big improvement in Arsenal’s fitness ahead of the clash with Brighton
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Kai Havertz should be fit enough to return to Arsenal’s squad for Saturday’s clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Havertz was left out of the win over Brentford on New Year’s Day after going down with illness, dealing another blow to Arsenal’s already depleted forward line.
Fortunately for Arteta, the bug seems to have passed Arsenal team without knocking anyone else down.
“I think I am,” Arteta said of Havertz’s involvement on Saturday. “The ones with illnesses, I think they’ll be fine. They’ll be training, and if they’re all fine, they should be available.”
Further down the line, Arteta is excited to welcome back winger Raheem Sterling from the knee injury he suffered around the same time Bukayo Saka went down with a nasty hamstring problem.
“He’s starting to do some things on the pitch, so that’s great news,” Arteta continued. “We want him available as soon as possible. Let’s see how he goes next week and then if we can make him available next week.”
Defender Ben White remains “a few weeks” from returning, while Arteta will also manage midfielder Declan Rice’s minutes as he continues to battle a minor muscle ailment.
“In his case, he played so much football,” the Arsenal boss said. “We have nine games this month and he had problems in the last few games, so he had to go. We have to take care of every player and he is no exception.”
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