Spaniard Mikel Arteta, Arsenal coach, approaches the decisive phase of the season with boosted morale, while the Gunners are still in the race to win the Premier League and the Champions League.
The Gunners occupy first place in the Premier League with 70 points, nine points ahead of Manchester City, who however have a game in hand, seven days from the end.
In the Champions League, the Gunners are on the verge of the semi-finals after their 1-0 victory at Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
According to the British daily Mirror, this dynamic was reinforced by the unexpected return of Iberichi Eze to training, a welcome psychological boost for the group.
Fears of a long absence for the player trained at Crystal Palace, injured in the leg just before the last international break, had however intensified.
Victim of a calf injury just before the international break, the English player was announced to be absent for six weeks, but he finally returned to the group this Thursday.
This resumption coincides with several withdrawals, including that of captain Martin Ødegaard, forced to come out against Sporting and absent from the session.
In addition to Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie also missed the session, ahead of the match against Bournemouth next Saturday, during the 32nd day of the Premier League.
Calafiori, who played the entire match against Sporting (90 minutes), would have simply benefited from a rest session, according to the “Football London” website.
Saka has been missing since the League Cup final, while Hincapie, injured in the hamstring during the international break, is expected to remain in the infirmary for a few more weeks.
Arteta will therefore have to manage this decimated squad as the Gunners begin their last seven outings in the Premier League.
Also read: Arteta after European victory: “A moment of magic made the difference… and Raya is simply phenomenal. »
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