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Granit Xhaka snapped in full training with Arsenal

By on December 4, 2021

Arsenal have been handed a surprise boost with the news that Granit Xhaka was back in full training today ahead of Monday’s trip to Everton.

Xhaka has been out since suffering a knee ligament injury during the second half of Arsenal’s North London Derby victory over Tottenham in September.

The 29-year-old was initially expected to be out until at least January but he’s been making excellent progress in his rehabilitation in recent weeks, sparking talk he could be set for a swift return to action.

Mikel Arteta confirmed at his pre-match press conference today that Xhaka has now resumed full training and the picture above – taken from a video of today’s training session – shows the midfielder was indeed involved with the rest of the first team.

The boss described Xhaka as being involved in ‘partial’ full training but interestingly, he refused to rule out the possibility of the midfielder featuring in some capacity when we face Everton on Monday evening.

Arteta also confirmed that Emile Smith Rowe needs to be assessed ahead of the trip to Goodison Park after picking up a knock during Arsenal’s defeat at Manchester United on Thursday night.

Arteta told Arsenal.com:

on Emile Smith Rowe’s fitness…
He had some discomfort during the game and we decided to take him off. He’s been evolving well over the last few days, so we have to wait until tomorrow to see how he is.

on the latest on Granit Xhaka…
He is progressing well, he is doing all the right things and he’s feeling better but no more news on that. It’s very positive because the evolution he is doing is great, he is partially training with the team and he is heading in the right direction.

on whether Xhaka could return in time for Monday…
This week he has progressed again to a different level, and tomorrow we will assess how he is, have a conversation with him and decide when is the best moment to start to give him some exposure in games.

It’s a big surprise to see Xhaka back in full training already as he’s well ahead of schedule – although I think it’s still highly unlikely we’ll see him in the squad against Everton on Monday night.

As much as I’m not Xhaka’s biggest fan, even I can admit we’ve missed him at times during his absence. Particularly in the big games against the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd, so it will be good to have him available again.