THE international break has arrived at just the right time for Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta desperate to get key players off the treatment table and back out onto the pitch.

Skipper Martin Odegaard is expected to captain Norway for their friendly against Finland tonight (Thursday) and their World Cup qualifier against Moldova on Tuesday despite being restricted to a substitutes’ appearance against Liverpool on Sunday because of a shoulder strain.

That leaves Arteta sweating on the fitness of two more of his star starters ahead of a busy schedule, which includes back-to-back Premier League home games against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, and a trip to Spain to take on Athletic Club in the Champions League.

Bukayo Saka is again sidelined with a hamstring injury but Arteta hopes to have the winger available by the time the Gunners host City at the Emirates on September 21.

Sharing his concerns surrounding Saka’s hamstring issues ahead of the Liverpool game, the Arsenal boss said: “Yes, it is, obviously, a big concern. Especially when we talk about a sprinter, a player that gets into that zone very often in a football match, that needs that burst, that change of rhythm, of pace, to be as threatening as possible.

“We’ll learn again why it happened and make him stronger. Unfortunately, injuries are part of your career. He hasn’t had that many, to be fair, with the amount of games that he’s played at his age.”

There’s more optimism surrounding William ­Saliba, who could be fit in time to face Forest. The centre-back lasted just five minutes at Anfield before being replaced by Cristhian Mosquera.

“He twisted his ankle during the warm-up, and he came in and said he believed that he could carry on and play, but straight away in the first two actions I could see that he couldn’t cope, and we had to get him out unfortunately,” revealed Arteta.

“But thank God we had Mosquera, who we put in for the first time in the Premier League for his debut. He was not expecting it at Anfield, and I think he was really, really good.”

One player who is eager to make his mark is Piero Hincapie, who arrived from Bayer Leverkusen on transfer deadline day.

The defender joined Arsenal on a season-long loan, with the north Londoners then having an option to buy the Ecuador international for £45m next summer.

“It only took one conversation to make me feel sure about the decision that I was taking,” Hincapie told the club’s official website.

“I’m over the moon. I always want to win trophies for this club, to make a name for myself, and to leave a mark.”