“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 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.

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.”

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.

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 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.”

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.”

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.