Four back in Arsenal training — but Arteta still sweating on two

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Arsenal have released training footage from the Sobha Realty Training Centre showing four fitness concerns back out on the grass, eight days before the Gunners host Leeds at the Emirates Stadium.

Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera were the headline names in the session, with both defenders having missed the 3-0 defeat at Brighton before the international break.

White picked up a groin problem during the 2-0 win over Sunderland on September 12. Mosquera's absence has run longer, the summer signing not having featured since limping off against Aston Villa on August 31.

Mosquera's timeline on track

Mosquera did travel with the squad to the Amex Stadium, where he was spotted in a tracksuit despite not being named in the matchday squad.

Standard Sport had reported at the time that the Spaniard was closing in on a return from his muscle injury, with the extended three-week international break offering enough runway for a full recovery. The training footage suggests that timeline has held.

Also involved was Piero Hincapie, who was not named in the Ecuador squad for fitness reasons, alongside youngster Marli Salmon, who withdrew from the England U18s squad last month.

Two new concerns from international duty

Noni Madueke, Illian Meslier and Kepa Arrizabalaga — not selected by England, France and Spain respectively — were the other senior players put through their paces during the break.

Young full-back Theo Julienne, who made his senior debut in the Carabao Cup third-round win over Ipswich, was also part of the session, as was summer signing Elijah Upson, who arrived from Tottenham.

The picture is not entirely clean, though. Mikel Arteta is still awaiting news on Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis, with both players picking up knocks while away with their national teams.

That is the familiar trade-off of an extended break: time to heal the existing problems, and three weeks of matches elsewhere to create new ones. Arsenal went into the fortnight off the back of a heavy defeat at Brighton, and the defensive options available to Arteta were a significant part of the conversation around that result.

Having White and Mosquera back in full training gives Arteta genuine competition again across the backline, with Hincapie's involvement adding another body to a department that had been stretched.

Whether all four are match-fit for Leeds is a separate question to being present in a training session, and Arsenal have not confirmed availability for the fixture. Arteta will have the chance to clarify the situation in his pre-match press conference.

Leeds visit the Emirates next weekend as Arsenal return to Premier League action, with the club's updates on Havertz and Tzolis likely to follow in the coming days.