Seven Arsenal players at risk of Mikel Arteta axe vs Man Utd

Mikel Arteta has some big decisions to make when it comes to his Arsenal team to take on Manchester United. The Gunners have strengthened their squad ahead of the new season and there is the possibility that players such as Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres could be handed starts at Old Trafford on Sunday.

After failing to really challenge Liverpool in last season's title race, Arsenal have added six new players to their roster for the 2025/26 campaign and the hope will be that they can make all the difference when it comes to getting over the line for top honours. What did hurt Arsenal last term was a number of injuries that severely limited Arteta's options at times.

Going into Sunday's Premier League opener at the Theatre of Dreams, the Spaniard will be in a position where he has to leave as many as seven players out of his matchday squad. It will undoubtedly be tough for him to go without some established names but this is what happens on a regular basis when everyone is fit and you have a big squad to cope with what lies ahead.

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Last in action a week ago as they beat Athletic Club 3-0 in the Emirates Cup, Arteta had a 25-man squad to call upon for the game against the La Liga side. Leandro Trossard was absent for that match due to injury and could come back into contention this weekend after Arteta provided a positive update on the Belgian in his pre-match press conference.

There will also be 15-year-old sensation Max Dowman to consider as well. The teenager was not involved against Athletic Club as he required a break.

That means Arteta will have to cut a total of seven players if Trossard is in a position to return to the squad. A few of those decisions should be fairly straightforward, with Alexei Rojas, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Reiss Nelson unlikely to make the 20-man squad on the day. Oleksandr Zinchenko is another one who could miss out as Arsenal have Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly as left-back options.

One of Jakub Kiwior or new signing Cristhian Mosquera could be given bad news as Arsenal do have sufficient cover at centre-back with Calafiori, Ben White and Jurrien Timber also able to play there if required. Dowman could be the sixth player to be left out and then the final decision may all rest on Trossard's fitness and whether Arteta wants an extra attacking player in his squad.

If the Belgian is fit and the boss chooses to go with that extra attacking player, one of Christian Norgaard, Ethan Nwaneri or Mikel Merino could potentially be at threat. Arteta does have some huge calls to make when it comes to his matchday squad and this may well be a regular occurrence if the Gunners are to have some good luck on the injury front this term.