Arsenal duo Oleksandr Zinchenko and Thomas Partey are reportedly hoping to be fit to return for the Gunners' Premier League fixture with relegation-battling Sheffield United next Monday.
Neither man was present with the matchday squad for Saturday night's 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle United, which kept Mikel Arteta's men two points behind Liverpool in third place in the table.
Zinchenko has now missed the Gunners' last four matches in all tournaments with yet another calf injury, which forced him off at half time in the 3-1 success over Liverpool on February 4.
Arteta has remained secretive about the Ukrainian's condition, but he has already spent time on the sidelines with similar problems since joining from Manchester City in 2022, meaning that his recent absences have not come as too much of a surprise.
Meanwhile, Partey - who has spent four months in the medical bay with a thigh injury - returned to team training before last week's 1-0 loss to Porto in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, but he did not board the plane to Portugal.
The Ghana international was not involved in the drubbing of Newcastle either, although Arteta told reporters at his pre-game press conference that he was "very close" to making a comeback.
Now, the Evening Standard reports that both Zinchenko and Partey are bidding to prove their fitness to Arteta before the trip to Sheffield United on March 4, and the pair are set to increase their workloads in the coming days.
The report adds that both men were not too far away from making the squad against Newcastle, although Arsenal staff will not make a final decision on their involvement at Bramall Lane until the end of the week.
After both starring during the Gunners' title near-miss in 2022-23, Partey in particular has experienced a major downturn in fortunes this season, playing just five times for Arsenal in all competitions.
The former Atletico Madrid man's last appearance for the club came against Manchester City back in October, and with his contract expiring in 2025, the Gunners are apparently open to summer bids for the injury-plagued lynchpin.
Meanwhile, Jakub Kiwior has stepped up in the absence of Zinchenko on the left-hand side, scoring his side's fourth against Newcastle after setting up a Kai Havertz goal against Burnley with a quickly-taken throw-in.
While Partey and Zinchenko were absent at the weekend, Gabriel Jesus was back on the bench after recovering from another knee niggle, although neither he nor Fabio Vieira saw the field against the Magpies.
Takehiro Tomiyasu also failed to recover from the issue he brought back from the Asian Cup in time to face Eddie Howe's men, while Jurrien Timber is still months away from a competitive comeback after his ACL injury.
With the young Reuell Walters also not called up to the matchday squad on Saturday, Cedric Soares - expected to depart when his contract expires this summer - represented Arteta's only defensive option on the bench at the Emirates. body check tags ::
