Football news live: Premier League injury updates; latest from Newcastle vs Everton

Mikel Arteta has rallied Arsenal’s squad players ahead of the run-in, saying “sometimes you just need a second to change the history of a football club”.

The Arsenal manager has previously cited player availability as his number one priority for the end of the season, which could prove crucial in their next block of games. Including their 0-0 draw against Manchester City, they have nine games — potentially 10 if they reach the Champions League semi-finals — in the month after returning from the international break.

On the depth of his squad, Arteta said: “We have discussed that, and pushing for each other to be available to contribute in any way to help us win and perform consistently at the level we need. We’re going to need everyone.

“That (player motivation) is certainly something really important. They need to feel it and the best way to feel it is to play minutes. When they don’t have that capacity to do it, they have to show it in training and we have to convince them to keep doing it to earn the right to play.”

Arteta’s insistence on players earning the right to play through training has been a consistent theme since he took charge in 2019.

It has been somewhat contentious when viewed through the lens of how he uses squad players off the bench, sometimes receiving criticism for the timing of certain changes.

Asked whether players need rhythm beyond just training before they are used in this period, Arteta added: “It’s always that balance. When you play you say ‘yeah but it’s my first game.’ Our obligation and our duty is to be prepared to play any minute at any moment.

“Look at the example of Reiss (Nelson). His best moment for Arsenal (his last-gasp winner against Bournemouth last season) is a moment where he played a few minutes and made a huge impact and it’s one of the best days in his life as an Arsenal player.

“Nobody remembers if he started or if it was off the bench. There are a lot of examples in world sport where players made the impact. Sometimes you just need a second to change the history of a football club. You don’t need 100 minutes to play football.

“It’s easy to see that it’s a fact. It’s not something that I’m inventing.”