Sead Kolašinac suffered a minor hip problem with Bosnia on international duty, and will be assessed ahead of Arsenal’s game against Watford on Saturday.
Kolašinac was withdrawn from the action at the end of the first half in mid-week, sparking concerns that he had suffered some kind of injury. At first, the rumours suggested a calf injury, but Wenger confirmed in his pre-Watford press conference that Sead has a “minor hip problem”.
Wenger confirms Mustafi is out until next international break. Says Kolasinac has minor hip problem.
— Mattias Karén (@MattiasKaren) October 12, 2017
The Arsenal manager said the wing-back will be assessed ahead of the match against Watford before any final decision on his participation will be made. It’s an additional headache for the Gunners’ boss, with Shkodran Mustafi ruled out of the match and Laurent Koscielny a doubt.
If both are missing, and Chambers still isn’t back in contention, then Nacho Monreal, Per Mertesacker and Rob Holding are the only remaining centre-backs, meaning Nacho wouldn’t be available to cover on the left.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has played left wing-back in the League Cup and Europa League, but it would be a big step forward to play there in the Premier League. Bellerín started on the left against Stoke, but bar a late call-up for Mathieu Debuchy, Reiss Nelson would realistically be the only player available to cover for Hector on the right.
Overall, it’ll be a lot simpler if Kolašinac makes it through his test. But at this stage, we don’t know how that will turn out.