Havertz and Tzolis return early as Arsenal's interlull ends
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Arsenal's longest in-season international break since the 2022 World Cup has finally come to a close, with Mikel Arteta now turning his attention to Saturday's home game against Leeds, the club's first at the Emirates since the 2-1 win over Chelsea more than a month ago.
Of the 25-man first-team squad, 16 players were called up by their countries while nine stayed in London. Kepa, Illan Meslier and Noni Madueke were not selected, while William Saliba, Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie, Declan Rice and Marli Salmon were either injured or working their way back to full fitness.
The Friday Injury Tracker
Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games.
Four players sent home early
Four players returned to Arsenal early after picking up knocks on international duty. Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis both suffered hamstring problems that could rule them out for a few weeks, with Havertz withdrawing after just 30 minutes for Germany against Holland. Academy prospect Max Dowman sustained a knock during England Under-19s' 2-1 win over the United States, a game in which he also provided an assist before being sent off. Thomas Tuchel also released Ezri Konsa as a precaution.
With Havertz sidelined, Viktor Gyokeres may be required to carry more of the goalscoring burden in the coming weeks. The Swede arrives in good form after netting four goals in four games for Sweden, extending his Nations League scoring streak to seven consecutive matches.
Odegaard leads the way, Merino shines off the bench
Martin Odegaard played more minutes than any other Arsenal player across the break, completing all four of Norway's Nations League fixtures and registering four assists across 360 minutes. According to The Friday Injury Tracker Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games. Free, in your inbox every Friday.
