Arsenal trio miss training before Bournemouth clash as Mikel Arteta receives unexpected injury update

Arsenal have been handed a major and unexpected injury boost ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth, as Eberechi Eze has returned to full training.

The former Crystal Palace playmaker has been absent from the Gunners' last three games in all competitions - as well as England's friendlies against Japan and Uruguay - due to the calf injury he sustained against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

Eze was previously feared to be facing up to six weeks on the sidelines with the issue, which could have ruled him out of the entirety of April.

However, the 27-year-old appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery, as he was filmed taking part in Arsenal's training session at London Colney on Thursday morning.

Mikel Arteta will update the media in his pre-game press conference, but there is seemingly a strong chance of Eze making his sooner-than-expected comeback against the Cherries this weekend.

How crucial is Eberechi Eze's return for Arsenal?

Eberechi Eze has returned to Arsenal training after recovering from a calf injury ?

Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard are all absent from the session pic.twitter.com/Wzj5pnf0Gd
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 9, 2026

While maybe not hitting the same heights he managed at Crystal Palace, Eze has nevertheless blossomed into a crucial player for Arsenal, at least according to the statistics.

The playmaker boasts 15 goal involvements - nine of his own and six assists - from 41 games in all competitions, including a wonder strike against Leverkusen on the night he sustained his injury.

Eze has so far struggled to nail down a firm place in the Arsenal XI, thanks to the presence of Martin Odegaard, but the Norway international has been underwhelming form-wise and has been plagued by injury in 2025-26.

Odegaard also sustained a new knock in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon, which is not thought to be serious but is another setback in a disrupted campaign for the captain, whose creative influence has been waning recently.

Eze also gives Arteta another option in the left eight role, as well as a wide alternative to Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, so there is no overstating the importance of the Englishman's return.

Arsenal suffer triple blow amid Eberechi Eze return boost

Eze's return to fitness is particularly timely following Odegaard's latest blow, as the ex-Real Madrid starlet was not seen alongside his teammates in Thursday's practice session.

Furthermore, neither Jurrien Timber nor Bukayo Saka - both of whom missed the Sporting victory with issues that forced them to withdraw from their national teams - were filmed being put through their paces.

As a result, all three are considered serious doubts for the visit of Bournemouth this weekend, and there are no guarantees that they will be available for the second leg against Sporting either.

Ben White and Noni Madueke should therefore continue down the right-hand side for Arsenal this weekend, although a start for Max Dowman cannot be completely discounted.