Arsenal are facing a growing injury crisis ahead of their Premier League clash with Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, with several key players sidelined or doubtful after a difficult international break.
The Gunners saw Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz both pick up hamstring injuries, while Ezri Konsa withdrew from the England squad with a dead leg. Martin Odegaard has been struggling with an issue of his own, and Declan Rice pulled out of England duty at the start of the extended three-week window.
Ezri Konsa and Max Dowman concerns
Konsa played no part against the Czech Republic on Tuesday after departing the England camp on Monday. The centre-back initially suffered an unspecified knock during the defeat by Spain at Wembley, subsequently sitting out training and remaining an unused substitute for the win over the Czech Republic in Prague.
Konsa returned to play the full 90 minutes of the 7-0 thrashing of Croatia on Saturday, but was ruled out of a second meeting with the Czechs and returned to north London for assessment. Standard Sport understands that while Konsa's injury - a dead leg - is not believed to be serious, it is as yet unclear whether he will be fit enough to play against Leeds this weekend.
Max Dowman was forced to pull out from England's Under-19s squad over the weekend, with his departure from the camp quietly confirmed a day before the Young Lions were beaten by Belgium 1-0. The 16-year-old had previously appeared in all three of the side's matches this international break, picking up one goal and one assist in victories over Ireland, Norway and the United States. He was sent off in that match, though, after a reckless challenge. However, it has been reported that Dowman suffered a contact injury which is not thought to be serious enough to sideline him for a significant period.
Hamstring issues for Tzolis and Havertz
Tzolis saw an early goal ruled out for Greece in Thursday night's Nations League clash with the Netherlands, before quickly suffering a hamstring injury. He went down and covered his face with his shirt as he received treatment, initially refusing to come off, according to his international boss Ivan Jovanovic. However, the winger was replaced in the 18th minute of the match and is said to have undergone a scan in Greece on Friday, before returning to the capital.
Early reports claim that the forward could be out for up to three weeks, potentially missing games against Leeds, Lille, Nottingham Forest and Bayern Munich. Such a timeframe could see Tzolis return for the visit of Everton on October 24, which is followed by a trip to fourth-tier Fleetwood in the Carabao Cup and a clash with Liverpool at Anfield.
A week before Tzolis' injury, Havertz had already suffered his own hamstring issue against the Netherlands while playing for Germany. He too was an early withdrawal and also headed back to Arsenal, having only been named in Jurgen Klopp's split squad for two of die Mannschaft's four total games across the window. Havertz has also undergone a scan following further assessment and treatment by the Gunners' medical staff, with the results yet to become clear. However, it is thought that he has avoided another serious injury setback and that any absence is likely to last for weeks rather than months.
Rice, Saliba and returning defenders
Fresh fears over Rice were sparked when he withdrew from the England squad before games against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia, alongside Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento. That, however, was a case of load management rather than any new injury, with Rice having been dealing with some issues including long-term neural hamstring pain that had moved into his lower back. He had also battled illness and calf pain throughout the World Cup. He is expected to be fit to start when Arsenal face Leeds on Saturday.
William Saliba has yet to play for the Gunners this season due to a long-term back injury that he worsened at the World Cup finals this summer. Though he avoided surgery, he was expected to be sidelined for a period of months in a huge blow to Arteta. No new official updates on the defender have been forthcoming, with Arteta previously insisting that his progress has been strong but that he was unsure of an exact timeframe for his return to the pitch. The most recent reports from France have claimed that Saliba is now running again following a positive scan and is targeting a comeback around November or December.
Ben White was once again unavailable for England selection during this international window after suffering a groin injury during Arsenal's win at Sunderland on September 12. The versatile defender missed the subsequent Carabao Cup victory over Ipswich and 3-0 Premier League defeat at Brighton, with Three Lions boss Tuchel bemoaning his absence. However, White avoided any serious injury and was spotted back in club training last week in the build-up to the visit of Leeds.
Piero Hincapie has also been back training with his club after being omitted from the Ecuador squad for friendlies against South Korea, Japan and Panama because of a muscle problem. The defender missed the Carabao Cup win at Ipswich but was back amongst the substitutes against Brighton, where he was an unused substitute. He too should be available for selection against Leeds.
Cristhian Mosquera, the last of Arsenal's previously injured defenders to be seen back in training last week, with the quartet completed by teenager Marli Salmon. Mosquera has not played at all since suffering a hamstring problem during the 1-0 win over Aston Villa on August 31. However, he is now fit again and should also help to bolster Arteta's defensive options this weekend.
