Arsenal face a potential setback ahead of their Champions League matchup against Inter Milan, with Declan Rice notably absent from training on Tuesday.
Rice featured in the entire Saturday’s early Premier League match, where the Gunners suffered a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle.
However, he was notably absent from the group that trained at London Colney on Tuesday morning ahead of their flight to Italy.
The reason for Rice’s absence from training remains unclear.
Arsenal are set to face Inter on Wednesday night at the San Siro, and manager Mikel Arteta will likely be asked about Rice’s fitness during his press conference on Tuesday evening.
This setback could overshadow the excitement of welcoming captain Martin Odegaard back to full training.
The Norwegian midfielder has been sorely missed since sustaining an injury on international duty with Norway on September 9.
He has been sidelined for 12 matches in all competitions but is now eyeing a return.
Arteta hinted that Odegaard’s comeback might not be far off, elaborating on the club’s approach during a press conference before the trip to St James’ Park.
“Now is the stage when he’s going to start to do certain work with us,” he said.
“Let’s see if he deals with pain if physically he’s able to compete.
“With the work he’s put in, I would be surprised if when he’s back training with us we don’t say he’s ready.”
The North Londoners will be without defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu for the Wednesday gam due to injury.
Arsenal remain unbeaten in the Champions League this season, with no goals conceded so far.
They have secured victories against Paris Saint-Germain and Shakhtar Donetsk, in addition to a goalless draw with Atalanta.
Currently, they are level on seven points with Inter Milan, who have won against Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade without conceding after a scoreless draw with Manchester City.
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