- Striker could return to action against Newcastle on Monday
- Mikel Arteta found Martinelli in tears and feared bad news
Gabriel Martinelli’s ankle injury is not serious and he could return to action as soon as next Monday, giving Mikel Arteta a significant boost as Arsenal seek to maintain their upturn in form.
There were concerns Martinelli, who returned from a long-term knee injury only in December, could face another lengthy spell on the sidelines after he went down in pain during the warm-up to Arsenal’s FA Cup third-round tie with Newcastle on Saturday. He was pulled out of the starting XI and Arteta said he found the player in tears. “I imagine we are not going to have good news with him,” the manager said after the game, although he sounded more optimistic in his press conference on Monday.
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