Arsenal have confirmed that Shkodran Mustafi will miss the remaining two games of the season after sustaining a hamstring injury against Man City in the FA Cup.
While there is little left to play for as far as the Gunners are concerned in the Premier League as they prepare to face Watford on Sunday, there is of course the FA Cup final against Chelsea to consider next weekend.
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Mikel Arteta will be desperate to see his side secure silverware to end the campaign which in turn could give them a crucial confidence and belief boost heading into next season.
However, he’ll have to plan for that showdown with their rivals without Mustafi, as the Gunners have confirmed on the club’s site that the German defender is ruled out of both the remaining games due to the hamstring injury he sustained last week.
The 28-year-old has made his fair share of mistakes during his time in north London, but he has been a key part of Arteta’s starting line-up since January, and so his absence will be a blow for Arsenal especially with such a crunch encounter to come.
There is more positive news on goalkeeper Bernd Leno though, as it’s suggested that the shot-stopper will be targeting a return to full training next week, and so it remains to be seen if he is given the green light to feature against Chelsea to hand Arteta a major boost between the posts.
Further, there were also positive updates on long-term absentees Calum Chambers, Pablo Mari and Gabriel Martinelli who all face rehabilitation work through the summer as they hope to be back in action and making an impact next season.
For now though, Arteta will be fully focused on who is available over the next week and how Arsenal can finish the current campaign on a positive note.