Konsa, Saliba and Saka: Latest Arsenal injury news update and expected return dates

Arsenal head into the November international break at the top of the Premier League table but also with a handful of injury concerns hanging over their heads – with Ezri Konsa the latest player to pick up a knock.

England have called up Bournemouth’s James Hill as cover for Konsa in the expectation that the defender will miss some time though injury, although doubts over his fitness do at least dovetail with the potential comeback of William Saliba, who continues his recovery from a back issue.

As the break gets underway and many members of Mikel Arteta’s squad join up with their national sides, we’ve collected all of the latest Arsenal injury news below, including an update on Konsa and the expected return dates for their stricken players when available.

How bad is Ezri Konsa’s injury?

While Konsa was fit enough to play the full 90 minutes against Hull City over the weekend, the 29-year-old had picked up a knock during the midweek Champions League match against Slavia Praha, and appeared to leave the field holding his knee when he was substituted after an hour during that game – and it would appear that now needs further recovery time after aggravating the issue on Saturday.

BBC Sport report that Konsa has now been ruled out of England’s Nations League match against Croatia with Hill called up as cover, but Konsa is expected to return to training during the week and could play against Spain on Sunday.

The extent of the apparent knee injury has not been made public, but it is not expected to represent a long-term issue and there are no indications that Konsa will miss out on Arsenal’s upcoming Premier League fixture against Newcastle United on 21 November.

There were also concerns about the fitness of Declan Rice after he was taken off during the 1-0 win over Hull, but the midfielder appears to have avoided injury and is expected to be available for both England matches despite the ongoing management of a persistent hamstring issue.

When will William Saliba be back for Arsenal?

If Konsa does end up missing more time than anticipated, he could potentially be replaced by the returning Saliba, who played in an Arsenal Under-21s match on Sunday.

Saliba, who has not been called up to Zinedine Zidane’s latest France squad, played 45 minutes and reportedly emerged unscathed, raising hopes that he will get his first senior action of the season against Newcastle after recovering from a back injury which was worsened during the World Cup.

"He's in a really good place," Arteta told the media last week. "The process and the timings and the manner that the injury has been dealt with, especially the feelings that [Saliba] has been having along the way, they have been very, very positive… He played 45 minutes behind closed doors last week. He feels ready to go.”

Initial indications are that Saliba will be a part of the matchday squad for the coming game at St. James’ Park, but that he will be eased back in and is unlikely to start for the Gunners. The only player who has been ruled out of the game against Newcastle so far is winger Bukayo Saka, who suffered a serious quadriceps injury against Bayern Munich on 21 October.

Arsenal have not provided a specific target date for his return, but the nature of the injury suggests that a mid-December return is the most likely outcome for the 25-year-old.