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Arsenal’s season has been plagued by persistent injury setbacks, with several key players still sidelined. The Gunners are currently without Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, and Takehiro Tomiyasu, with only Saka expected to return before the end of the campaign.
Earlier in the season, captain Martin Ødegaard was ruled out for nearly three months, while defender Ben White recently returned after undergoing surgery in November. Other players, including Gabriel Martinelli, Ethan Nwaneri, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Kieran Tierney, have also faced injury struggles.
Among those battling fitness concerns is Raheem Sterling, who made a surprise deadline-day move from Chelsea last summer. However, the four-time Premier League winner has endured a frustrating spell in North London, scoring just once in 22 appearances across all competitions—a Carabao Cup strike against Bolton in September.
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Despite Arsenal’s attacking injury crisis, manager Mikel Arteta has only handed Sterling four Premier League starts, opting not to use him in a central role. The winger was brought in as backup for Saka and Martinelli but has seen his opportunities limited, partly due to his own struggles and the emergence of teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri.
Raheem Sterling (Image credit: Getty Images)Sterling’s form has been inconsistent, with reports suggesting he rushed back from injury in December following Saka’s hamstring setback. According to Mail Online, the 30-year-old made himself available despite not being fully fit, which may have contributed to his struggles.
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Arteta has acknowledged Sterling’s difficulties this season, saying: “The time in football flies. Things move and change, and you have to do it again. Raz has been incredibly consistent in the last 10 years, and now it’s about doing it again. What has changed?
“On a personal level, not so much. But obviously, it is different because of the role he has now and what we demand from each other. What Pep [Guardiola] used to demand from him is different because now I’m the person who makes the final call.”
With Arsenal holding a commanding six-goal lead ahead of their Champions League second-leg clash with PSV, Sterling will hope for a rare chance to impress and revive his season.
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