Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has played down speculation that William Saliba needs surgery on a back injury.

It has been suggested that the Frenchman could be sidelined for the rest of the season if he needs an operation, but Arteta says they are hopeful that the defender can recover full fitness without going under the knife:

“He [Saliba] is progressing. Unfortunately, he feels some discomfort in his back and we are trying to manage him in the best possible way. He’s not going to be fit for this game [against Leeds] but we are trying, he is trying to do everything he can to feel better and get back training, but not yet. We don’t know if it happened the previous game as he had a very awkward landing against Fulham but before that he was fine.”

Eddie Nketiah remains sidelined with an ankle problem. The striker has not featured since the 4-0 win over Everton last month and, despite being pictured back in training recently, he is not expected to be ready to play for at least a couple more weeks.

Mohamed Elneny is unlikely to be back in action before the end of the season. The Egyptian had surgery on a knee injury at the start of this year and he is set to be out for a lengthy period.

Takehiro Tomiyasu is in a similar situation. After injuring his knee against Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League, the Japanese international underwent an operation which means he won’t be available again this campaign.