Arsenal academy centre-back Harry Clarke has suffered a minor injury setback, though he hopes to be back soon.

Harry Clarke (Photo via Twitter)
Harry Clarke (Photo via Twitter)

Clarke, 18, has become a nailed-on member of the Arsenal u23s’ starting lineup under Steve Bould this season. The centre-back has played the full 90 minutes in all but one Premier League 2 match this campaign, coming off the bench in that one game.

The defender also started in Arsenal’s first PL International Cup match against Villarreal on Wednesday, and he played 90 minutes in two of the three group stage matches in the EFL Trophy.

Recently he’d hit a good run of form alongside Konstantinos Mavropanos, keeping consecutive clean sheets for the first time this season and featuring in a 3-1 derby win over Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately, he’s now picked up an injury.

The centre-back confirmed on Twitter that he’s had a ‘minor setback’, but he’s aiming to be ‘back very soon’. This likely means he’s at least going to miss the visit of Blackburn Rovers u23s to Meadow Park next Friday.

Arsenal’s u23s actually only have three more games before the end of the year, given the youth players get a longer festive holiday. They play Blackburn on Friday 6th, before a trip to Brighton on Friday 13th, finally welcoming Dinamo Zagreb on December 17th.

After that, there are no games for the u23s until January 6th. Bould may well choose not to rush Clarke back and to save him until the new year as a result.