Mikel Arteta is unsure whether Declan Rice is ready to return to action for Arsenal this weekend against Bournemouth, but has ruled out Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori.

Rice missed Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Aston Villa with a knee injury, which the Arsenal manager said needed a reduction in swelling for the midfielder to have a chance of playing.

Asked whether Rice’s swelling had reduced before his pre-Bournemouth press conference on Friday, he said: “Not yet. We have another session today. Let’s see how he comes through and how that’s feeling, but that game (against Aston Villa) was too early for him.”

Having sustained the injury during Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on December 27, Arteta was also asked whether he would have taken off the England international rather than have him play the entire 90 minutes.

He added: “No, he managed to do that (complete the game) and that’s normal. Sometimes you get a hit and throughout the game you are able to sustain that (performance) because of the adrenaline and warmth. Then the body reacted more than we expected unfortunately and that’s where we are.”

On Mosquera (ankle) and Calafiori (unspecified), Arteta simply said: “They are both out.”

Counting Max Dowman (ankle), that sees Arsenal with four injured first team players heading into the weekend, which has been the case in nine of their 19 Premier League matches so far this season.

In that time, Arsenal have mostly suffered short to medium-term injuries that have taken players weeks to recover from. These have sometimes clustered by position such as at right-back with Ben White and Jurrien Timber both missing games.

In November, Arsenal were without six attacking players: Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.

“That is the reality of the sport we play,” Arteta said when asked about the injuries. “But looking back in the last three seasons, we have less days of injuries than before. So it’s how you look at it.

“If you separate the traumatic ones and the ones that are minor injuries. We have to improve, but we are better than some of the years.”

White was injured against Wolverhampton Wanderers in December (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Arteta said he was encouraged by the return of Havertz alongside Jesus, saying that he was “looking forward” to having attacking options.

Even with the return of a fully fit strike force, and eight summer signings, the injuries Arsenal have suffered throughout this season may leave some wondering whether further recruitment is needed this month.

Arteta previously said that Arsenal will be “looking” at signings in this window. Asked whether that would be for short-term solutions on loan or more long-term deals, he added: “We are open to every option.

“If we can find a solution that is short, medium and long it’s always much better because it gives you stability and you don’t have to constantly start a process with a new player. Let’s see what happens in the next few weeks.”

After playing eight games in December, Arsenal now have nine across four competitions in January, with a match every midweek.

That quick turnaround starts with a trip to Bournemouth on Saturday, January 3, before hosting Liverpool on Thursday, January 8.