The Gunners are still waiting to learn the full extent of Takehiro Tomiyasu’s injury after he was forced to pull out of their US tour in recent days.
His knee is said to be the issue with him staying behind as a precaution to undergo further tests on what is a part of the body which, if unsettled could end a player's career.
This injury is one of many throughout the defender's career with manager Mikel Arteta having a lot of sympathy for him.
“It is unbelievable, because the kid works so hard,” said Arteta, when asked about Tomiyasu’s knee injury in the US on Monday.
“He had an incident in training this week and we don’t know yet the extent of that injury but as a precaution we kept him. We’ll see what happens.”
Thankfully Arsenal have welcomed the return of Jurrien Timber who missed almost the whole of last season with a similar knee injury. Arteta was thrilled with the defenders return.
“He is so willing; you can see that in his body language and the way he acts. He has worked so hard, I think he is in a really good place at the moment.”
“It is not easy to come to a big club like here and start to set expectations with his performances and then on day one in the Premier League you are out for the season.
“But mentally he is a really tough boy. He has a great environment around him and hopefully that will make him a better player.
“He is a leader. He loves to be on show and a big presence in everything that we do. He is very vocal and extremely gifted technically. He is a great addition to the team.”