Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos ruled out of Southampton clash with hamstring injury

Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos will miss Saturday’s clash with Southampton as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

The midfielder, who is currently on loan from Real Madrid, limped off during the Gunners’ 1-1 draw in the Europa League with Vitoria on November 6.

Ceballos consequently missed the match against Leicester City the following Saturday and he has now been ruled out of this weekend’s game with Southampton.

It had been hoped the international break would provide the Spaniard with time to recover from the hamstring problem, but he is still not fit and could face further weeks on the sidelines while he recovers.

Arsenal’s medical team were assessing the returning players from international duty this morning, one of which is Granit Xhaka.

The midfielder has not played for Arsenal since the match with Crystal Palace on October 27 and his public falling out with supporters then led to him losing the captaincy.

However the 27-year-old has played 180 minutes for Switzerland over the international break, scoring against Gibraltar too, and head coach Unai Emery is expected to confirm this afternoon whether he will be recalled for Saturday’s match at home to Southampton.

Xhaka addressed the incident during the Crystal Palace match while on international duty, explaining how he feels ready to draw a line under the matter and return to action for Arsenal.

“You can be sure that I’ll keep fighting and putting myself out there in every training session,” Xhaka told Swiss newspaper Blick.

“I feel that the other week has been dealt with and I'm ready. My family and I also feel very well in the city of London.

“I’ll continue to stay positive, give my all to an even greater extent and prove that I’m an important part of this great team.”