Arteta on Partey, Calafiori and Merino’s fitness

Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino were both ruled out for our 5-2 victory over West Ham at the weekend, while defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel were taken off during the game.

So at his pre-match press conference ahead of the meeting with Manchester United at Emirates Stadium, Mikel Arteta was asked about the current condition of all four players, and whether any of them were ruled out of contention.

“We’re going to have a meeting this afternoon,” he said. “We have done a training session (this morning), we have monitored and kept a few away from certain activities and after that meeting we will decide if everyone is fit and available and who will start.”

The boss added that the way his squad has stepped up over the past few games has been impressive, regardless of who has started.