Arsenal youngster Louie Copley has confirmed he suffered an ACL rupture during the pre-season fixture against Real Betis. The injury is a significant blow for the teenager, who had impressed in the win over Girona last weekend.
Injury Details
Copley was a half-time substitute on Wednesday night in Dublin, replacing Ben White and taking up an unfamiliar right-back position. Unfortunately, his involvement at the Aviva Stadium was short-lived. Just ten minutes into the second half, Copley appeared to damage his knee and received treatment from Arsenal's medical staff before heading straight down the tunnel while needing assistance.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta said after the 3-1 loss to Betis that he was hopeful Copley's scan would bring some positive news. However, the worst fears have been realised as the teenager now faces a long spell on the sidelines.
Copley's Response
Taking to Instagram, Copley said: "Words can't describe how I'm feeling right now, to making my pre-season debut for the team I've grown up supporting to finding out I've ruptured my ACL. The road ahead won't be easy but I'll give everything to come back stronger and better."
Transfer Impact
Prior to the injury blow, Copley was a big topic among Arsenal supporters due to the shirt number he wore for both pre-season friendlies, amid the imminent arrival of Bruno Guimaraes. However, the injury will not impact the transfer. While Copley wore No39 for the Gunners against both Girona and Real Betis, he had already been handed the No38 shirt, based on details via the official Arsenal website.
It's unclear why Copley wore that particular shirt number in pre-season, but he did wear No38 last season when named on the bench in the Champions League win over Club Brugge, and there was no confirmation of a change. Therefore, the No39 shirt at Arsenal remains vacant, which has been the case since Harrison Dudziak, the previous incumbent, was released by the club at the end of June after his contract had expired.
It is common knowledge that the No39 shirt has a special meaning to Guimaraes, and he is set to wear it for the Gunners once his £75million transfer from Newcastle is finalised.
