Mikel Arteta is contemplating giving another teenage goalkeeper his debut for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup match against Preston on Wednesday.
The Arsenal boss has received a triple injury boost, with Gabriel and Jurrien Timber fit to play, while captain Martin Odegaard is nearing a return to action ahead of the international break.
Arteta hinted that 18-year-old Tommy Setford could make his first start since joining from the Ajax Academy this summer.
With second-choice goalkeeper Neto cup-tied after appearing in the competition for Bournemouth in August, the Gunners fielded 16-year-old Jack Porter in their home win over Bolton in the previous round.
Before embarking on a stretch of four consecutive away matches, Arteta shared his thoughts on the upcoming challenge.
He said: “We bought him (Setford) because we know he’s got the qualities we’re looking for with our goalkeeping area.
“But unfortunately he’s been injured so he hasn’t really played.
“Let’s see if we play him or not tomorrow.”
Gabriel and Timber both left the pitch during Sunday’s Premier League draw against Liverpool.
Speaking about Gabriel, the manager noted the impact of his injury on the team’s performance, highlighting his crucial role in defense and leadership on the field.
Arteta said: “We’re still assessing him.
“It doesn’t look that bad at all.
“He was much better the next day.
“Hopefully he’ll be fine.
“He’s done some tests.”
On Timber, he added: “Jurrien was fine.
“He was very tired.
“He’s been out for a while and he could not continue the game.
“Not a new injury there at all.
“He could not continue so we decided to make a very safe call. But he was fine.”
William Saliba is back following his suspension; however, manager Mikel Arteta reported that Riccardo Calafiori will be sidelined for “a few weeks” after twisting his right knee during the match against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Meanwhile, Gunners captain Martin Odegaard has been unavailable since sustaining an ankle injury while playing for Norway.
“He’s been on the grass for a few weeks, but there is still a few boxes to tick,” Arteta said.
“How fast we can do that last stage of the rehab is a question we’ll have to answer once we have players around him and he starts competing with the team.
“He hasn’t done that yet. Will he be back before the international break?
“Hopefully yes but we’ll have to see how that stage goes.”
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