CONFIRMED XI 》TEAM NEWS Partey, Gabriel, Calafiori, Merino – Arsenal injury news and return dates Manchester United (H) – Wednesday, December 4.

Arsenal injury news as the Gunners battle several late fitness concerns before the visit of Manchester United on Wednesday in the Premier League

Gabriel Magalhaes is a doubt for the match against Manchester United

Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have found their mojo once more despite continuing to deal with a host of injury issues. Not quite at the stage whereby their first-choice midfield are all out at the same time, problems still plague the squad, especially at the back.

Despite the fitness worries, Arsenal have found themselves back in good form, winning all three since the return from the November international break, scoring 13 times in the process. Martin Odegaard at the centre of things has played a substantial role in that but behind him there are worries as Manchester United prepare to visit the Emirates Stadium.

Both Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori were removed early against West Ham in the 5-2 win whilst Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey were also absent. Unfortunately for Arteta that isn’t the full quota either.

Here, with Ruben Amorim set to bring his United side to north London off the back of a 4-0 win over Everton on Sunday, football.london has the full set of Arsenal injury news leading into the game. Arteta will address this in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

Gabriel Magalhaes

Injury: Unknown.

Gabriel was taken off at half-time of the Premier League win over West Ham after scoring in the opening 45 minutes. He was also involved in a collision with Lukasz Fabianski where the West Ham goalkeeper appeared to punch him in the head.

Concerns his withdrawal was because of a concussion were high, but Arteta confirmed that was not the case and it was instead a similar problem to the one he felt against Sporting CP earlier this week. Writing on Instagram after the match, he said: “+3 [points] and we continue fighting together!! Thanks for your support gunners!! See you on Wednesday!! [bicep and red heart emojis]”.

What Arteta has said: “It was related to the previous injury he had in Lisbon.”

Possible return date: Manchester United (H) – Wednesday, December 4.

Mikel Merino

Injury: Knee.

After coming off the bench for the final 20 minutes in Portugal, Merino was absent from the group that travelled to West Ham having dealt with a number of issues recently. An Arsenal update said: “Mikel Merino (knee issue) and Thomas Partey (muscle issue) both miss out on tonight’s fixture.”

What Arteta has said: “Unfortunately they both picked [up] an injury and the game came too early and they couldn’t be part of the squad.”

Possible return date: Manchester United (H) – Wednesday, December 4.

Thomas Partey

Injury: Muscular.

Partey was also omitted from the matchday squad to face West Ham after playing the full 90 minutes against Sporting. Announcing the starting XI, Arsenal explained: “Mikel Merino (knee issue) and Thomas Partey (muscle issue) both miss out on tonight’s fixture.”

He posted to his Instagram story at full-time with five shushing emojis over an image of Bukayo Saka with his finger to his lips in celebration. He is among several doubts before Arteta faces the press on Tuesday.

What Arteta has said: “Unfortunately they both picked [up] an injury and the game came too early and they couldn’t be part of the squad.”

Possible return date: Manchester United (H) – Wednesday, December 4.

Riccardo Calafiori

Injury: Unknown

Calafiori was taken off before the hour mark against West Ham. Based on Arteta’s update, there is no major concern but it is clear he may not yet be at full fitness.

He celebrated the win online. Writing on Instagram, he said: “Huge away win!!! Well done boys [red and white heart emojis]”.

What Arteta has said: “Well, he’s been dealing with little niggles in the last few weeks, obviously, he’s had a very serious knee injury and he’s doing really well but we have to manage his minutes. Today we have to do the same.”

Possible return date: Manchester United (H) – Wednesday, December 4.

Ben White

Injury: Knee.

White has been dealing with a number of issues over the last few months. As a result, a decision was made for him to undergo a minor procedure over the November international break.

What Arteta has said: “Ben is going to be out for months. We had to make a decision in the last few weeks, unfortunately. It got to a point where we had to protect the player, and we decided to do the surgery.”

Possible return date: 2025.

Takehiro Tomiyasu

Injury: Knee.

Tomiyasu has played just seven minutes in the 2024/25 season with injuries continuing to plague him. He has struggled throughout the year to get to full fitness

What Arteta has said: “Tomiyasu is going to be out for a bit. He’s going away for a few weeks to change his environment because it’s been really tough for him. We’re going to give him the best opportunity to try and unlock something, but I think we need to be patient.”

Possible return date: 2025.

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Amazon’s Prime Video is broadcasting 10 mid-week Premier League matches on December 3-5, plus 10 fixtures on December 26-27.