Arsenal defender Ezri Konsa has withdrawn from the England camp ahead of their final game of the September-October international break.
England have confirmed that Ezri Konsa has been ruled out of Tuesday’s Nations League match against Czechia, and he’s returned to Arsenal for further assessment.
There have been injury concerns over Konsa throughout the international break, with the centre-back playing England’s opening game against Spain, but then missing training and dropping to the bench against Czechia.
Thomas Tuchel had suggested that was an enforced change, and that he would have liked to name Konsa in the starting lineup against Czechia.
Konsa then returned to the squad and to the pitch against Croatia, playing the full 90 minutes of the 7-0 win. But now he’s been ruled out again.
What was initially deemed to be a minor issue is looking increasingly problematic for Arsenal. If Konsa has aggravated his injury in both of his appearances over the break, there’s every chance he’d be risking the same outcome by playing for the Gunners this weekend.
The optimistic take is that perhaps the withdrawal is a precautionary measure, and Tuchel’s pre-match interviews may provide further insight on that front.
Arsenal are already without William Saliba at the moment, but Cristhian Mosquera is closing in on a comeback.
Having both Konsa and Mosquera available would be ideal, allowing them to offer each other rests until Saliba returns. Whether that’s realistic or not remains to be seen.
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