Arsenal are preparing for their most important run of fixtures in over 20 years, but Mikel Arteta is facing a growing injury list as ten first-team players have withdrawn from international duty over the past week. The Gunners hold a nine-point lead in the Premier League and are through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and FA Cup, but key players are now sidelined.
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke all withdrew from England’s squad. Rice and Saka returned to Arsenal for medical assessment, while Madueke limped off against Uruguay with a knee brace. William Saliba (left ankle), Gabriel Magalhães (right knee) and Jurriën Timber (not fully recovered) also pulled out of their national teams. Leandro Trossard was deemed unfit by Belgium.
Further withdrawals include Ecuador’s Piero Hincapié, who returned to Arsenal after imaging tests, and Spain’s Martín Zubimendi, who reported discomfort in his right knee. Arteta had earlier said the club “tried everything” to get Emile Smith Rowe fit for the Carabao Cup final, but he also missed out. Ben White remains the only Arsenal player in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad after ending his four-year absence.
The injuries come ahead of a pivotal week for Arsenal, starting with an FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton and the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Sporting Lisbon. A potential title decider against Manchester City also looms, leaving Arteta with a selection crisis.
