Mikel Arteta had some good news ahead of our Europa League semi-final first leg against Villarreal.
Our manager revealed that every player who had been out is now back in contention for Thursday's match in Spain.
This is what Arteta told the media:
on the latest team news…
They are all in contention. All of them. Including Aubameyang, Laca and Kieran. They are all in contention for the game. Yes [it is good news].
on Tierney's fitness...
He didn't need the surgery that we were afraid of at the beginning and then he's been working like a beast every single day. I don't know if he's going to make it tomorrow but he certainly wants to be as close as possible to that football pitch to give himself the best possible chance.
on whether he's willing to risk players like Kieran and Auba because of the importance of the fixture...
We do need them, because we know that we have some players that are in contention and they are the ones who can make the difference in a big tie like this. But the word risk, I don't like to put players on the pitch if they can't perform and they can't feel secure that they can perform. If it's a risk or we're going to take a gamble, then I don't think it's the right thing to do.
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