Mikel Arteta was back in front of the media at London Colney for his pre-Preston North End press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Included in attendance was journalist Layth Yousif on behalf of the newspaper he writes for.

Read on for what Gunners boss Arteta said to the assembled group of reporters including the latest team news, his thoughts on Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, squad rotation and much more including a question from Layth regarding the club's loyal travelling fans ahead of fourh tough trips on the road over the next ten days. 

on how Gabriel is after his knee injury:

We are still assessing him, it doesn’t look bad at all. He was much better than expected, so hopefully he’ll be fine.

on if he’s had a scan:

He’s had some tests yes.

on Jurrien Timber:

Jurrien is fine. He was very tired, he had been out for a while and could not continue the game but there is no new injury there.

on if it was cramp:

He could not continue, so we decided to make a very safe call.

on Riccardo Calafiori:

He will be out for a few weeks I’d say.

on William Saliba being back from suspension:

I will decide that when you see the team.

on what he’s got to weigh up for that decision:

The same as for the rest, and how we get the strongest team we possibly can to win the game.

on Martin Odegaard’s availability:

He’s been on the grass for a few weeks, but there are still a few boxes to tick. How fast we can do that last stage of the rehab is a question we have to answer when we have players around and he starts competing with the team, something he hasn’t done yet.

on if he’ll be back before the international break:

Hopefully yes but we’ll have to see how he goes.

on balancing the need to win with protecting first team players:

We will try to find the right balance there. As you said we have very demanding matches now, in different competitions. We want to win them all and we have to start tomorrow to get the momentum again and we’ll put a strong team out.

on Erik ten Hag’s sacking from Manchester United:

It’s always sad to see one of our colleagues lose his job. I think he’d done a really good job, he’d won titles there, he’d changed a lot of things. He’s a phenomenal coach and it’s difficult. Unfortunately when these things happen, the exposure we have as managers, we are always in the line. Especially when you look at the game, how they lost it, it was incredible. But they made the decision and I wish him all the best for his new chapter.

on the support Mikel’s had from Edu and the board:

Nobody is unsackable. When you have that (support) you have earned something, and you have earned that back somehow. But here we are here to win football matches, never forget that.

on being here for almost five years:

It is a long time, and it’s unusual, unfortunately that is very unusual. I have continued to do my job the best possible way. Again, football matches are the most important and you have to win many of those to keep your job.

on the importance of the Carabao Cup:

It’s important because it keeps everybody alive. It maintains the winning habit which is really, really important, and it shows you care about every competition, regardless of what you play. You have to compete for every match you are in, or you are out. The margins are so small and tomorrow we are going to face a really tough opponent.

on the opportunity for squad rotation against Preston:

It is important. There are players who haven’t played that much, and they will have their chance tomorrow, that’s for sure. But you have to earn the right to play and when you have that right, you have to perform, and perform in a way to help impact the team to win the game. That’s what we are going to demand of anybody. Whether you are young, you are an experienced player or you’ve been playing regularly for us.

on the Global Gift Gala on Monday night:

It was a beautiful evening. We have created a partnership between two great foundations. What they do change the lives and hopes of a lot of children, a lot of families, especially those who have a lot of special needs. We’ve been collaborating with them for almost 10 years and it’s amazing to give you so much perspective about life. We have the power, we have the ability to connect with a lot of people and to attract a lot of attention and raise money which is very important in the end. These children and families need infrastructure, doctors, attention and they need it in a consistent way. Doing it once and feeling good with yourself is not good enough. It’s something that we have to build and create for many years to come and it’s amazing what they’ve been doing.

on what he learned from Pep Guardiola managing squad rotation in this competition at Man City:

Well obviously I was there and we knew the quality of that squad and how strong those teams were when you were putting them in positions. We have a really good squad as well. It’s true that at the moment we’re missing quite a lot of players, especially in certain positions, so you have to be really strong. You can make changes but the team has to have a balance, a chemistry and an energy. They have to be really good to earn the right to win the game, especially playing away from home.

on Oleksandr Zinchenko’s role in the squad:

Those decisions are always difficult to make. You make them with the only intention to get the result with the performance that you want, but Alex has already proven for many years something that he has to do and that he has the ability to do it.

on if Kieran Tierney is getting closer to a return:

I think he’s quite close. He’s looking really good. I think he’s over the period where he was still struggling, so he looks really sharp out there. He hasn’t trained with the team yet but hopefully he can do that in the next week or two.

on what he’s seen from Tommy Setford:

Obviously we brought him because we know that he’s got the qualities that we’re looking for for our goalkeeping area, but unfortunately he’s been injured so he hasn’t really played. Let’s see if we will play him tomorrow.

on how the instability in the back four impacts the team:

Well I planned for a lot of things for that [Liverpool] game. Three different, four different scenarios actually. I didn’t plan for the one with Gabi [going off injured] because normally that doesn’t happen. It happened, we had to adapt to it very early in the match as well, and it’s not ideal. It’s what is happening at the moment that is making us think and learn a lot. We will be stronger, there’s no other way to look at it.

on what he’s seen from Myles Lewis-Skelly in the big games:

First of all, a huge personality. He doesn’t care, he plays with full belief, with a lot of commitment, he’s got the qualities that we want in his position, to play outside, to play inside. Defensively, he’s a really strong player and where we want him. When a player is like this, I don’t care if he’s from the academy or whatever, we need to give him the opportunities and he’s earned the right to play those games.

on if Jose Mourinho has been a reference point for Mikel:

Jose? For sure, I’ve known him since I was 15 years old. He coached me in Barcelona. He’s won 26, 28 titles? He’s someone to really admire. The way he’s done it, the way he’s changed the culture in clubs. The way he’s done it in different countries.

on if he takes the comparison as a compliment:

I take it as an opinion. I don’t like myself comparing to anybody, because I’m myself. I don’t do things because other people have done things. I do things that I believe are the best things for the players and the team to get us success and play the way we want to play. That’s it.

on a message to the travelling fans ahead of four away games:

Keep doing what you’re doing. You’ve been absolutely phenomenal. We really thank you for the time, the effort and everything that you invest in. We’re really grateful and hopefully we’re going to perform really well and give you a lot of joy.