Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Riccardo Calafiori picked up an injury issue during Arsenal’s win over Everton, but the manager has played down the severity of the problem.
Towards the end of Arsenal’s win over Everton, some fans and reporters noted that Noni Madueke appeared to have taken over Riccardo Calafiori’s left-back role.
Calafiori then went straight down the tunnel at the full-time whistle, leading to speculation that the defender could have an injury.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Mikel Arteta confirmed as much, but added that it doesn’t appear to be serious.
“He had a light issue, we’re not quite sure what it is, something very small, but he was cautious of that,” Arteta said.
The frustration will be that Arsenal had opted to rest Calafiori from the start of the game, only bringing him on for the last quarter, and yet he picked up an injury anyway.
But as long as the problem is nothing too serious, Arteta could easily play it safe and give Calafiori another rest against Fleetwood Town in midweek.
Piero Hincapie has just returned from injury, and he could probably do with some minutes. The Fleetwood League Cup game is a good opportunity to help him build up his fitness, and Myles Lewis-Skelly should be available when Hincapie needs a break.
The concern is more for next weekend’s game against Liverpool. Arsenal will want their very best side available for the trip to Anfield, and they’re already almost certain to be without William Saliba and Bukayo Saka.
There’s more hope around Christos Tzolis’ situation, but little certainty at this stage. The Gunners just won’t want anyone other than those three to miss the next big Premier League fixture.
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