Declan Rice ruled out of Club Brugge match with illness
Max Dowman set to miss several weeks with ankle injury
Mikel Arteta fears that Arsenal’s quest for silverware this season could be undermined by a “dangerous circle” of mounting injuries and an unforgiving fixture list that he believes are placing huge demands on his squad.
Arteta confirmed that Declan Rice has not travelled to Belgium for Arsenal’s Champions League meeting with Club Brugge on Wednesday due to illness, while Leandro Trossard and William Saliba are again unavailable. There was better news for Gabriel Jesus after the Brazil forward was added to Arsenal’s Champions League squad in place of Max Dowman, who injured his ankle at the weekend.
That is expected to rule the 15-year-old – who became the youngest player in the competition’s history last month – out of action for a few weeks, with Dowman the 95th injury Arsenal have picked up since the start of last season – the second highest amount in the Premier League. Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not likely to return until the new year, while Arteta revealed last week that Kai Havertz “still needs time” after knee surgery.
