LONDON: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta faces a major challenge after several of his key players returned from the World Cup exhausted and plagued by injuries.
The tournament ended with Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino suffering a significant bruise under his eye after being hit by a powerful shot from Lionel Messi in the final, which Spain won 1-0 over Argentina.
Merino shared a photo from the Spain dressing room showing the injury, while placing a drink bottle on the swollen eye.
Although the injury is not considered serious, it still brings relief to Arsenal’s medical team who now have to manage the return of all their players from the tournament.
Most worrying is the condition of Declan Rice, who has had a very busy season when he played for 5,482 minutes in 69 matches for club and England.
Rice is expected to need a long period of rest after finishing a grueling season.
Bukayo Saka is still struggling with an Achilles tendon problem he has been experiencing for the past few months, while William Saliba is likely to require surgery after his back injury recurred during France’s semi-final defeat.
Arsenal sent 15 players to the World Cup, including Leandro Trossard who has now left the club, with eight of them progressing to the final weekend of the tournament.
In total, Arsenal players have accumulated 4,224 minutes of action in North America.
That number is only surpassed by Manchester City among Premier League clubs, when their players recorded 5,925 minutes.
The situation is difficult for Arteta as Arsenal have just come through a season that saw them play 63 matches before the players went on to join the World Cup training camp just two days after the season ended on May 30.
Now they only have about 30 days before the new Premier League season begins.
Arsenal enter the new season as Premier League champions, but the fitness levels of Rice, Saka and Saliba are among the main concerns.
The club already expects many players to go far in the World Cup, hence the pre-season schedule has been modified.
Arsenal held a short training camp in Marbella last week before starting official training on Monday.
They also rejected the long pre-season travel plans and opted for a simpler approach.
The team will undergo a training camp in Spain before playing Girona on August 1.
Four days later, Arsenal will face Real Betis in Dublin before returning to London for two more friendlies at the Emirates Stadium in preparation for facing Manchester City in the Community Shield in Cardiff on August 16.
Arsenal have also overhauled their medical department in an effort to improve the team’s injury record.
The club’s doctor, Zafar Iqbal, and head of sports science and performance, Tom Allen, have left the club.
The main physical performance coach, Sam Wilson, also moved to Parma.
To fill the vacancy, Arsenal have appointed Arnaldo Abrantes from Aston Villa as the new club doctor, Eneko Angulo from Real Betis as a rehabilitation specialist and Bayer Leverkusen fitness coach Jose Jimenez.
They are now responsible for ensuring players like Ben White and Jurrien Timber return to peak fitness as soon as possible.
The delayed return of several key players also opened up opportunities for young talent to shine throughout the pre-season.
16-year-old winger Max Dowman has the opportunity to prove his ability on the right wing as Saka and Noni Madueke have just returned from international duty.
In midfield, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are expected to be given more playing minutes after Martin Zubimendi, Merino and Rice only finished their World Cup campaigns last weekend.
Nwaneri’s future with Arsenal is still a question mark, but last season proved that things can change quickly.
The 19-year-old almost left the club before finally making the starting line-up for the Champions League final.
Arteta certainly hopes that the young player can continue his excellent performance and help reduce the burden facing the Arsenal squad ahead of the new season.