NewsArne Slot's update on Alexis Mac Allister fitness

The midfielder missed the champions’ dramatic 3-2 victory at Newcastle United on Monday night having withdrawn from a training session at the weekend with a fitness concern.

However, Slot doesn’t believe the issue to be serious and is optimistic of being able to call upon Mac Allister’s services for the clash with the Gunners.

He told his post-match press conference at St. James’ Park: “We are hoping [he will be available], yes.

“He had to leave the training pitch two days ago and that would not even be the biggest problem if he would have had a proper pre-season, but he missed out for so many weeks.

“There is a reason why you go inside, because you probably feel something, and that is the difficult balance to find with players that were out for so long in pre-season.

“There you bring the base for the whole season and you can see these intensity levels, like we faced last week and this topped it up 10 times, I think.

“Then you need to be so, so, so fit and then it is always a risk if you bring a player that had a pre-season like this, had to go out two days ago in a training session, in this environment.

“With such a long season to go, it was too much of a risk for me but I am hoping, hoping things in the upcoming one or two days so that he is available for Sunday.”