Mikel Arteta said Noni Madueke’s injury is not as bad as first feared, while Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber are in contention to return for Arsenal’s FA Cup quarter-final at Southampton.
Mikel Arteta offered Arsenal a measure of encouragement ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton, confirming that Noni Madueke’s knee injury is not as serious as first feared and suggesting both Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber could return to the squad. Speaking before the trip to St Mary’s, the Arsenal manager also defended the club after 10 players withdrew from international duty during the break.
Madueke appeared to be a major concern after he was seen leaving Wembley with a brace on his left leg following England’s friendly against Uruguay. But Arteta said scans had delivered better news than expected. “It looked really bad,” he said. “Noni was really worried, especially after what happened in his other knee a few weeks out and he was out for six weeks. But no, it’s nowhere near that injury. That was really good news.” Asked if the winger would only be out for a matter of days, Arteta replied: “I think so.”
There was further encouragement on Odegaard and Timber. Odegaard has not played since February 22 because of a knee problem, while Timber missed Arsenal’s last two matches with a groin issue. Arteta’s update was cautious, but positive. “Those are in contention to possibly be in the squad,” he said. Arsenal are still competing on multiple fronts, so even the possibility of having both players back for the run-in is significant.
Not all the news was positive. Arteta confirmed that Eberechi Eze remains out, while Piero Hincapie has also been ruled out of the Southampton tie after returning early from Ecuador duty with what is believed to be a hamstring problem. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are among those who withdrew from international duty too, though they are not thought to be major and both may simply be managed carefully this weekend.
Arteta was also asked about the criticism aimed at Arsenal after so many players pulled out of national-team duty. He rejected any suggestion that the club had acted improperly, saying Arsenal had been “very honest” in their communication with international sides and that the final calls were medical ones. “When a player is fit and available, he has to play,” Arteta said. “It makes us very proud that we have that many players in the national team and the players are desperate to play with the national team.”
Arsenal’s options could still be helped by Myles Lewis-Skelly, who comes into the weekend after playing 90 minutes in both England Under-21 matches during the break. Lee Carsley said the youngster is now “ready to go” if called upon, which may matter given the uncertainty around several senior players.
For Arteta, the message was clear. Arsenal are not out of the woods yet on injuries, but the picture is improving. With Southampton next in the FA Cup and a Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP to follow, the timing of those possible returns could be important.