Photographs of Oleksandr Zinchenko at Arsenal’s January training camp in Dubai were not released by club media upon the request of Mikel Arteta, it has been claimed.
The defender was an injury doubt at the time, having missed the New Year’s Eve defeat to Fulham with a calf problem before sitting out the FA Cup defeat to Liverpool a week later. The Ukraine star made his comeback against Crystal Palace last weekend and is set to be available for Tuesday’s Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest.
There had been concern over why Zinchenko was not photographed in Dubai but journalist Charlie Watts claims that this no-snap stance is common practice for injury doubts as per the instruction of manager Arteta. He adds it does not categorically mean such concerns are ruled out of the following game.
Speaking on Inside Arsenal, Watts said: «There was a few players that a few people picked up weren't in the pictures, I think Gabriel was one of them which obviously is a little bit of a worry but again I wouldn't worry too much about it because you just never know when it comes to Arsenal.
»You think back to the whole training trip to Dubai, all of that, Zinchenko wasn't pictured or filmed once in any of those things and that was clearly deliberate. It's what Mikel Arteta likes to do, if anyone's an injury doubt ahead of a game he never wants them in the pictures or in the videos as he wants the opposition guessing constantly. He makes that message very, very clear.
«There was no Zinchenko at all throughout the training in Dubai in terms of the pictures and then he rocks up and he starts in the game against Crystal Palace so just because there's no Gabriel in these pictures yesterday it doesn't mean he;s not going to be involved against
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