Arsenal handed big injury boost as 3 key players spotted in training ahead of Newcastle PL clash: Reports

Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard, and Kai Havertz all took part in an open training session ahead of Arsenal's upcoming Premier League game against Newcastle United, reports The Athletic. The Gunners have suffered with injuries all season and are now in a battle for second place in the Premier League table.

The north London side are second in the league after 36 games, having already lost the title to Liverpool this campaign. However, with Newcastle United and Manchester City breathing down their neck, Arsenal still have a job on their hands as the season draws to a close.

The Gunners face the Magpies at the Emirates on Sunday, May 18, in the penultimate game of the season. As such, Mikel Arteta will be delighted to have Havertz, Rice, and Trossard back in the fold.

The German forward was expected to be sidelined for the season after suffering a freak hamstring injury. However, Havertz has now recovered earlier than expected, which will be a big boost to the north London side.

Meanwhile, Rice missed Arsenal's trip to Anfield to face Liverpool last weekend with an undisclosed injury. Interestingly, it now appears that the Englishman could return to the team for the crucial game this weekend. Leandro Trossard was another fitness concern for the Gunners ahead of the game, but he looks set to make a swift return as well.

What has Mikel Arteta said about Arsenal's failed Premier League title pursuit?

Mikel Arteta has suggested that Arsenal's small squad was the reason why the club faltered in the title race this season. The Gunners were expected to mount a title challenge this season after narrowly missing out on the league last year.

Speaking after the 2-2 draw against Liverpool last weekend, Arteta also acknowledged that his team lacked consistency this season.

"We knew from the beginning of the decision that our squad was super short and being super short we had some players that had a high probability of getting injured, because that's what they had in the last few seasons. So we knew that and we cannot do anything about it," said Arteta.

He continued:

"So you need a lot of ingredients or you don't win the Premier League. That's the difficulty of it, and it's true that this season we never found that consistently because of the issues that we had."

Arsenal have finished second in the league in the last two campaigns.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava