Partey, Zinchenko, & Tomiyasu: Arsenal injury news latest and return dates ahead of Sheffield United clash

Arsenal will be looking to make it seven Premier League wins in a row when they come up against relegation-threatened Sheffield United on Monday evening. The Gunners have been on a fine run of form in recent weeks, and find themselves within two points league leaders Liverpool with 12 games left to play.

Their last outing ended in a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Newcastle United at the Emirates on Saturday night, meaning that Mikel Arteta's men have now scored four goals or more in four of their last six league fixtures. By contrast, Sheffield United are bottom of the division, and have taken just 13 points from their first 26 matches this term.

But how will Arsenal line up against the Blades? We've taken a look at the Gunners' current injury list, and expected return dates where available, below...

Jurrien Timber

Arsenal's injury concerns are steadily improving, and their list of absentees is shortening every week, but one position they continue to struggle in is at full-back. Jurrien Timber is one of a number of defensive issues they are currently contending with, with the Dutchman still sidelined after suffering an ACL injury on the opening weekend of the campaign. His rehabilitation is progressing well, however, and while his comeback may not be immediately imminent, it should still happen sooner rather than later.

Takehiro Tomiyasu

Another who has been plagued by injuries this season, Takehiro Tomiyasu has struggled for fitness since returning from Japan's Asian Cup campaign. The defender is out with a calf complaint, and is expected to be sidelined for a little while longer, according to his manager.

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Oleksandr Zinchenko has also been unable to sustain a solid run of fitness in recent weeks, and like Tomiyasu, has been battling an ongoing calf issue. There is promising news regarding the Ukrainian, however, with Mikel Arteta stating that he is 'Not far [away] at all...'. It is thought that all being well, Zinchenko could be on contention to make Monday's match day squad.

Thomas Partey

Every time Thomas Partey looks to be on the cusp of a comeback from the injuries that have hampered him all season long, he seems to suffer some kind of setback that kicks his return just a little further down the line. It is expected that he will be properly back very shortly, however. Speaking about the Ghanaian midfielder last week, Arteta said: 'We have another session today, and obviously, he's been out for many, many months now, and we need to really nail the timing and when he has enough in the tank to compete, but I think he's very close.'

It is unclear at this stage whether the match against Sheffield United will come too soon for Partey, but even if it does, there is a growing sense that Partey could, and should, be back in time to face Brentford on Saturday March 9th. If and when he does return to the first team picture, it will be the first time that he has worn an Arsenal shirt since October 8th, when he made a 15 minute cameo in the 1-0 win over Manchester City.