Tom Smith is on a growing list of Arsenal loan absentees at the moment, missing multiple matches through injury.

Arsenal 19-year-old goalkeeper Tom Smith joined Welling United on loan earlier this month, and he was initially straight into the action with the team. The teenager made his friendly debut the same day as his signing, and he was with the squad again four days later.

Yet he hasn’t been in either squad for their two competitive matches since then, with Welling United fan and reporter Mark Doig telling Daily Cannon the goalkeeper is absent through injury.

At the outset, it was rather worrying to see Welling United bring in Murphy Mahoney as a replacement goalkeeper to fill in. But Arsenal loanee Smith was in attendance at their game at the weekend and told Doig that he’ll be back in two weeks.

Smith isn’t the first Arsenal loanee to find himself unavailable for matches this month. Matt Smith has already had an enforced absence with Covid-19, and Jordi Osei-Tutu has had a hamstring setback.

Then Nikolaj Möller was another unexplained absentee for Viktoria Köln this weekend, so that’s another one to keep an eye on.

The good news is that Matt Smith was back in Doncaster Rovers’ squad at the weekend, and it doesn’t sound like Tom Smith will be out for long.