Arsenal trio spotted training ahead of PSG clash but £150k-p/w ace missing

Arsenal have been handed a boost on the injury front as a trio of stars have been spotted in training ahead of their clash with Paris Saint Germain, it has emerged.

Arsenal in search of Champions League win

Currently unbeaten in the Premier League this season, Arsenal and Mikel Arteta remain on the hunt for their first Champions League win of the season, having drawn 0-0 with Atalanta 10 days ago. They now welcome French champions PSG to north London, with the Parisians also having enjoyed an unbeaten start to their domestic season and currently top of Ligue 1, while they edged past Girona in their opening Champions League clash.

Speaking ahead of the game, Arteta admitted his squad were looking forward to the test: “These are the kind of games that we want to have. Against a big opponent. We’re just ready for it.

“We missed it for a number of years. Last year it was the first one where we had the opportunity to do it. The group stage is a bit different this season. The opposition we’re facing is probably at the highest level in European football. Honestly it’s a great opportunity to see how we deal with that, how prepared we are and how we can deal with different contexts.”

Now, the Gunners have been handed an injury boost ahead of the clash.

Trio spotted in training but Ben White could miss out

That comes as a trio of their first team stars have been spotted back in training ahead of the clash with PSG. Riccardo Calafiori, who suffered an injury scare against Leicester City, was present as part of the final training session before the clash, with the Italian seemingly recovered from his issue.

Additionally, summer signing Mikel Merino was also among those who took to the grass, with the Spaniard having suffered a shoulder injury in his first training session with the club and yet to make his debut since joining from Real Sociedad. Though unlikely to do so against PSG, his return will be a welcome boost given the long term absence of captain Martin Odegaard.

There was also mixed news at fullback, with Takehiro Tomiyasu back in training alongside his new teammates, with the Japanese defender having been suffering with a knee injury.

However, there was no sighting of fellow defender Ben White, who was a substitute against Manchester City but has since missed games against Bolton and Leicester City through a reported groin injury.

Speaking ahead of the session, Arteta explained that White and Calafiori “are the two players that are in contention and we have to review today,” though White’s absence may suggest that the £150,000 a week defender has failed to prove himself fit for tomorrow night’s clash.

However, Tomiyasu’s return will come as a major boost for the Arsenal boss, with Arteta having previously dubbed him a unique option in the squad.

“I always said that I’m really confident that the moment Tomi has consistency, he’s going to be a tremendous asset for us. He already is”, he explained. “He can play in any position in the backline, any formation in the backline, we don’t have another player like him.”

Though his return will likely come too late to feature against PSG, his impending return to the squad will be another massive boost for the Gunners.