Mikel Arteta has given the latest on the injury status of William Saliba and Jurrien Timber and it sounds like Arsenal fans will not be seeing either for a while.
The Gunners boss was speaking after a friendly against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday at the Emirates which the German side won 3-2.
Neither Saliba nor Timber were involved as the Frenchman deals with a back problem and the Dutchman is out with a groin issue.
Arsenal are back in action in a friendly with Como on Wednesday before taking on Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday.
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Their Premier League title defence starts with a home game against Coventry on August 21 and it sounds unlikely either injured player will be involved.
Asked on their return dates, Arteta told a press conference on Sunday: ‘I cannot be very precise with that. Jurrien is progressing really well, he’s on the pitch, he’s doing quite a lot right now, but is still weeks away, I cannot say how much.
‘William is in rest mode at the moment. For two weeks he had to do almost nothing, don’t aggravate the injury. It’s going to take some time to heal, we know that.
‘As quick as we have more news we can inform.’
Two weeks ago Arsenal released a statement on Saliba, saying he ‘has suffered a back injury which will require a period of rehabilitation.’
The club added: ‘Extensive assessments have concluded that surgery is not recommended, but William should now commence a managed recovery programme.
‘William’s rehabilitation will commence immediately, with continual management of his injury, and he is expected to be out of action for an extended period.’
Arsenal are not short of options at the back, with Gabriel, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly also in the squad.
However, Arteta accepted that Saliba is a huge loss given his level of influence in the side.
‘We have experienced that in the past, unfortunately,’ the manager said on being without the Frenchman. ‘When he’s been available, his stats are incredible.
‘We know that we have lost an incredible player. Same with Jurrien.’
Arteta was asked if he is looking to add a defender to his squad in the transfer window, but did not suggest this is where he is looking to strengthen.
‘We conceded some poor goals the other day, some poor goals today, in the way we competed especially, but that’s a collective responsibility,’ he said. ‘We need to improve with the players that we have.’