Arsenal visit Liverpool on Sunday in hope of edging closer to their first Premier League title since 2004.
The Gunners remain eight points clear at the top of the table with nine games remaining.
Mikel Arteta may have to prepare for the game without William Saliba, who is reportedly still unavailable.
The 21-year-old has been out for the past three weeks now.
Saliba injured his back during Arsenal’s Europa League last-16 second-leg defeat to Sporting CP.
Now, the Evening Standard has reported that the Frenchman remains a “serious doubt” for the trip to Anfield.
With that in mind, Rob Holding is “in line” to start again for Arsenal.
‘He’s always there’
Arsenal’s strength in depth this season has been impressive.
Key to this has been having top-quality players who appear happy to be back-ups.
Holding is one such player, largely coming in to play in cup competitions or in case of injuries to other players.
With Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba performing so well this season, Holding hasn’t featured often.
However, the £40,000-a-week ace has performed well when called upon, and Arteta is a big fan.
“Rob in particular has been exceptional,” he said earlier this season.
“He’s always there the way he trains when you need him for 15/20 minutes to close a game, he’s always been there and available.”
Indeed, it has been reported that Arteta is reluctant to let Holding go this summer.
That speaks volumes about the 27-year-old’s quality and professionalism.
Great back-ups are always hard to find, but Arteta has quite a few in his ranks who are absolutely crucial.
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