Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is unsure if Takehiro Tomiyasu will return from injury this season, though he is hopeful the Gunners will receive more positive news on fellow defender William Saliba.
Tomiyasu and Saliba were both forced out of Arsenal's Europa League last-16 second leg against Sporting CP – which Arteta's men eventually lost on penalties – with injuries on Thursday.
Both men were then absent as Arsenal established an eight-point lead at the Premier League summit on Sunday, thrashing managerless Crystal Palace 4-1 on a weekend when title rivals Manchester City were on FA Cup duty.
Asked after that win whether Tomiyasu's knee injury could rule him out for the rest of the campaign, Arteta said: "We don't know, obviously the doctor is assessing him.
"We've had one assessment, they need to have another assessment tomorrow, but it's not looking good, that's for sure.
"Looking at Tomi, he's not someone who exaggerates things. He was really concerned straight away, and we are concerned."
Reports have suggested Saliba may be forced to withdraw from France's squad for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, but Arteta hopes he will not miss a significant portion of Arsenal's run-in.
Rob Holding made his first start of the Premier League season against Palace, and Arteta says more fringe players will need to step up as the Gunners chase their first title since 2004.
"We hope Willy is going to be better news, but again we have to wait until [Monday] to understand a better picture," he said.
"We have lost players – we lost Gabby [Gabriel Jesus] for four months; we lost Thomas [Partey] for one and a half months; we lost Oleksandr Zinchenko for one and a half months.
"We lost [Mohamed] Elneny for six to eight months; we lost Eddie [Nketiah], and now we lost Tomiyasu and Saliba. Everybody has to give more.
"It's not a secret, if we want to maintain that level, everyone has to step in, give more, and Rob is a great example of what we needed today."
Craig Beattie says John Kennedy has some big career decisions to make
Craig Beattie feels his former Celtic team-mate John Kennedy is destined to be a “great manager” – but could decide continuing to work under Ange Postecoglou will help in his ambitions.
The new Tottenham manager reportedly wants to take assistant boss Kennedy down to north London along with Gavin Strachan when he officially takes over on July 1.
Kennedy had a spell as interim manager in 2021 before the Australian took over, having previously worked under Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon.
The 39-year-old could be a contender for the Celtic job and was linked with the Hearts vacancy before Steven Naismith was handed an extended deal.
Beattie speculated that Kennedy will have a difficult decision if Postecoglou is keen to continue their working relationship.
The PFA Scotland player relations officer told Sky Sports News: “I know John well. He is hugely ambitious, his work ethic is second to none.
“Spurs are a huge club so if Ange decides he wants to take him, then John has got that decision. I won’t tell John what to do because he is very much his own man.
“He will be a manager at some point, he will be a great manager at some point.
“For me it depends on when John wants to make that step. We have seen recently where young managers have done it too early so he might just be looking at going down there and working with the likes of Harry Kane and Son (Heung-min). There are some exceptional players down there he could work with.
“Does he want to be a manager in his own right or go down to the Premier League as a number two and gain even more experience so when he decides to be a manager, he has huge experience to tap into when required.
“There’s a lot of big decisions and we speculate about it.”
Steven Naismith gets new job title as he agrees deal to continue leading Hearts
Steven Naismith will remain in charge of Hearts but with a new title of technical director.
Naismith has signed a two-year deal – with the option of a further 12 months – after stepping in as interim manager for the last seven games of the season following the sacking of Robbie Neilson.
After keeping the club in fourth place in the cinch Premiership to seal a place in the Europa Conference League qualifiers, Naismith cannot act as the club’s manager or head coach in those games because he has not completed his Pro-Licence coaching badge.
So Frankie McAvoy has been named head coach with Naismith given the fresh title. Gordon Forrest remains as first-team coach and Paul Gallacher continues as goalkeeping coach.
Hearts chief executive Andrew McKinlay told the club’s website: “We are thrilled to confirm Steven, Frankie and Gordon as our coaching team.
“We received a number of excellent applications, and, after a robust recruitment process, we believe the three were the best candidates to lead us into next season while sharing our vision for the club’s future.
“Steven is an outstanding young coach with a strong track record of improving players whilst also displaying a commitment to blooding young talent through the ranks.”
Former Preston manager McAvoy, previously assistant to Alex Neil at several clubs, joined Hearts as head of the youth academy in February 2022 while Forrest followed Neilson from Dundee United in 2020.
McKinlay said: “Frankie has vast experience from his time coaching on both sides of the border and possesses an impressive track record of developing talent. Gordon, of course, is very familiar with the club already. He’s an outstanding presence on the training pitch and a very gifted coach.”
Sporting director Joe Savage added: “We’ve been really impressed with all three of them, there’s a fantastic dynamic there and we believe they’ve earned this opportunity.
“They want to continue playing in a style that the fans like and the players enjoy. I think the performances spoke for themselves – you could tell the players really bought into what they were trying to achieve.
“Steven has had a wonderful playing career and worked towards this for a long time. He’s got a style and identity that I like and agree with. I think we’ll work together well to develop and enhance this team.
“I’ve known Frankie a long time from working together at Hamilton, Norwich and Preston. He brings a wealth of experience and has a history of developing young players who have been sold for millions of pounds. In his time as academy director, you can see the influence he’s had already.
“Speak to anyone about Gordon Forrest and they’ll tell you what a top coach he is. Gordon’s brilliant on the grass, brilliant in taking sessions and that’s been utilised really well. They’re all good foils for each other and bounce ideas around together.
“The sky’s the limit. The three have shown in a short space of time what good ideas they have. Let’s see how far we can go because we’ve got a great chance to build something really special at Hearts.”
Everton’s Amadou Onana to miss Belgium’s upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers
Everton midfielder Amadou Onana will miss Belgium’s Euro 2024 qualifiers later this month with a groin problem.
The 21-year-old was scheduled to be in the squad to face Austria on June 17 and Estonia the following Tuesday.
“Amadou Onana will not feature for Belgium in upcoming internationals due to a minor groin injury and will return to Finch Farm to be treated by club medical staff,” said an Everton statement.
“He is expected to be fit for the start of Everton’s pre-season training next month.”
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