Mikel Arteta has quite clearly been pushing his Arsenal squad to the limit in sweltering conditions at their Dubai training camp. The Gunners headed out to the Middle East earlier this week following Carabao Cup elimination at the hands of Newcastle with a rare 10-day break on their calendar.
Having been knocked out of the FA Cup and avoided a Champions League play-off tie, some warm-weather training has been on the agenda all while other Premier League clubs play twice. Following their cup tie away at Plymouth Argyle, Liverpool also face Everton in the Merseyside Derby before Arsenal return to action against Leicester.
Arteta has already been handed several injury boosts from the trip overseas with Ben White returning to training while Bukayo Saka also made the journey to continue his rehabilitation. Gabriel Martinelli joined his teammates as opposed to remaining at London Colney but his hamstring injury looks set to keep him out for a month.
With that being said, football.london has pulled together all the important things spotted from Arsenal’s second training session in Dubai.
White absence explained
Despite being spotted back out on the grass in team training for the first time in nearly three months, White can not clearly be seen in any of the 32 training photos uploaded to Arsenal’s official website.
Given the amount of action he has missed, it is very possible Arteta is managing his load with the defender perhaps joining Saka indoors. It is however, plausible that a minor setback has been suffered with several players experiencing that upon returning from long-term injuries.
However, after doing a little bit more digging, White appeared to be present in Arsenal’s most recent training session with one photo capturing him kicking the ball. He also features in the warm-ups conducted ahead of the intensity increasing.
The 27-year-old may have just missed parts of the session in order to slowly bring him back up to speed.
Rice anguish
Training photos often bring out some embarrassing facial expressions and Rice is the latest to fall victim to exactly that.
While challenging for possession, the midfielder has been pictured with his mouth wide open, eyes closed and one arm flailing in the air. It looks as though shock or disappointment is the emotion on display as opposed to pain from a possible injury.
Gabriel new role hint
After wearing a bib with ‘9’ on the back in Arsenal’s first training session in Dubai, Gabriel Magalhaes again looks to be hinting at his desire to play at the opposite end of the pitch.
While the central defender has scored five goals this season, the majority of those have been from corners but he could preparing for moments when he may be sent up front as the Gunners look for a goal. In one of the more recent photos to emerge, he is seen striking the ball with his left foot in a shooting drill.
Dowman’s chance to impress
While the extended break in Dubai may be a chance for the senior player to recover, it also appears as though it is an opportunity for younger stars to impress. One of those is 15-year-old Max Dowman who has received significant praise since starting to training with the first-team squad.
His technical ability is particularly impressive and that was on display in Arsenal training as he has been pictured in the middle of completing a skill which sees him in the ribona position, but in mid-air, perhaps doing kick-ups but with an added twist.
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