Arsenal’s hopes of being lifted from the Premier League could be dashed in the coming weeks as a number of the Gunners’ stars have been removed from international duty.
Martin Zvimendi withdraws from Spain national team (Image: Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta has been hit with an international curse, with his squad currently on injured reserve. Piero Hincapie and Martin Zvimendi are the latest players to return to Arsenal after withdrawing from camps in Ecuador and Spain respectively.
This follows Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka leaving the England camp on Saturday, and Noni Madueke suffering a knee injury during Friday’s friendly against Uruguay.
That will be a big worry for Gunners manager Arteta, who has a big game ahead of Arsenal’s next game, Southampton in the FA Cup on Saturday, April 4.
They then travel to Sporting Lisbon to take on Bournemouth in the Premier League and win the return leg of the Champions League quarter-finals at the Emirates, before heading to Manchester City on April 19 for a potential title showdown.
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Arteta will be praying that the injury list clears ahead of a daunting schedule, as Arsenal are desperate not to take any risks.
Gabriel withdrew from the Brazil squad, William Saliba did not play with France due to an ankle problem, Leandro Trossard missed the Belgium camp with a minor injury and Julien Timber also missed the game against the Netherlands.
Ebereshi Eze missed the England match with a calf injury and could be out for about a month, but it is hoped he could be back in time for the City match.
Both Rice and Saka are considered precautionary rather than major injuries, but have clearly played a lot of games and have minor injuries.
Pierrot Hincapie also withdraws from international duty (Image: Getty Images)
Martin Ødegaard was unable to take part in the Norway mission but is hoping to return after the international break after missing games due to a knee problem.
Maduke has major concerns about his left knee and England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted he was “concerned” but hoped it was not too serious after leaving Wembley injured on Friday. Hincapie returned to Arsenal with the injury after 70 minutes of Ecuador’s 1-1 draw with Morocco and remains a cause for concern.
“The results will be sent immediately to each club, who will begin their own recovery process. The national team’s medical staff will monitor their progress,” the Ecuadorian FA said.
Zubimendi was probably more of a precautionary measure, with the Spanish Football Association saying: “Martin Zubimendi has withdrawn from the Spanish national team’s camp due to discomfort in his right knee.
“In order to avoid any risks and protect the health of the player, he has been removed from the squad. Arsenal FC’s medical staff have been informed of the situation.”
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