After withdrawing from the November international break, Arsenal’s Nuno Tavares has undergone assessments by loan club Lazio to confirm that he has a hamstring injury.
SS Lazio report that Nuno Tavares underwent a medical assessment at the Villa Mafalda Clinic on Wednesday, and tests revealed a low-grade muscle injury to the hamstring of the left thigh.
Lazio add that Tavares has already started treatment for the injury, and he’ll be monitored on a daily basis as they look to assess when he’ll be fit to return.
The expectation is that he’ll at least miss a couple of games, with Lazio facing Bologna in Serie A at the weekend before taking on Ludogorets in the Europa League next week on Thursday.
Tavares made his debut for Portugal during the November international break, coming on as a substitute in their win over Poland.
Reports in the Italian media suggest the player then suffered an injury in training, and he was forced to withdraw from the camp before Portugal’s game against Croatia on Monday night.
The injury certainly didn’t come at a good time, with Tavares arguably in the best form of his entire career.
With eight assists in 10 games for Lazio, the start of the 2024/25 season has been a creative masterclass from the Arsenal loanee, so much so that he received that first senior call-up from Portugal.
As a reminder, Tavares’ loan deal includes an obligation to buy for €9m (£7.6m) assuming the player meets certain clauses in his contract – most likely appearance clauses. So a long-term injury could be disruptive to his future, but there’s no suggestion of a serious problem at this stage.
The player will be on a deal until June 2029 if he signs, and the contract also has a sell-on clause reportedly worth more than 25% of a future fee.