Arsenal injury news: Mesut Ozil set for training return for Germany as Ospina continues therapy

Arsenal have received a double boost on the injury front with Mesut Ozil and David Ospina recovering from their respective injuries sustained during the Gunners' 2-0 win over Everton in the Premier League on Saturday (19 March). The former has returned to training with Germany for their upcoming friendlies against England and Italy, while the latter is also close to returning and is undergoing therapy ahead of Colombia's World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Ecuador.

The German midfielder, who has been Arsenal's top performer this season with 18 assists, limped off with an ankle injury with 15 minutes still left to play during the Gunners' 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday (19 March). He sat out the first training session for the reigning World Cup winners, but Joachim Low has confirmed that he will be available for training ahead of their friendly games against the Three Lions and the Azzuri.

"Mesut Ozil, Karim Bellarabi and [Julian] Draxler should be available the training tomorrow," Low said, as quoted by the London Evening Standard.

The Colombia international, on the other hand, suffered a back injury during the same clash against the Toffees following a collision with Romelu Lukaku. Ospina looked to be in a considerable amount of pain at the time, but continued to play on. It was feared that he could face an extended spell on the sidelines, but the former Nice goalkeeper has allayed any such fears by confirming that the pain is now minimal.

Petr Cech has been sidelined by a calf injury since the loss against Watford in the FA Cup, and the Colombian stopper has ably deputised in his absence. Ospina has admitted that playing on a regular basis has enhanced his motivation, but made it clear that he trains equally hard when he has to play second fiddle to the Czech Republic international, which has been very frequent during the current campaign.

"I'm already much better, between the day of the injury and today my recovery has been positive. I'm continuing with therapy but the pain is now minimal," Ospina said, as quoted by the London Evening Standard.

"Playing gives me extra motivation but when I've not had the opportunity to play I've always trained to the fullest of my ability," he added.