Mikel Arteta has suffered a setback in his protracted return from injury after sustaining another calf strain. The Arsenal captain has been able to train with his team-mates this week, but was not considered fit to play in yesterday’s 4-0 victory over a Singapore Select XI, which featured a hat-trick from Chuba Akpom.

Arteta has not played since suffering a calf injury during a Champions League group-stage victory over Borussia Dortmund last November and while the latest problem is not thought to be related, he will be concerned about incurring an injury in a similar area. The 33-year-old midfielder was ruled out of the final two thirds of last season with further calf and ankle injuries and will be desperate to get back to action