Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that youngster Louie Copley's injury does not look good after the midfielder was forced off during Wednesday's pre-season friendly loss to Real Betis.
Copley, 19, was introduced at half-time in place of Ben White, taking up an unfamiliar right-back position at the Aviva Stadium. However, his involvement lasted just ten minutes into the second half when he got his studs caught in the turf and appeared to damage his knee.
The Arsenal medical staff treated Copley, who needed assistance to get back to his feet before being replaced by Theo Julienne and heading straight down the tunnel.
Scan scheduled
Speaking after the 3-1 defeat, Arteta confirmed that Copley is set to undergo a scan on Thursday to determine the severity of the injury, with the boss hoping for positive news.
“Well, probably we're going to have it tomorrow. It doesn't look good, the mechanism is not too positive, the symptoms that he already has either. So let's hope that tomorrow the news is better,” Arteta said.
Gabriel and Martinelli substitutions
Copley was one of seven half-time substitutes, with Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli also coming on to make their first appearances of the summer after an extended break due to the World Cup.
Like Copley, the Brazilian duo did not finish the second half, being withdrawn with a quarter of the game remaining. Their substitutions are not thought to be injury-related but rather pre-planned, as they got 30 minutes of action, similar to Kai Havertz, Piero Hincapie, and Viktor Gyokeres against Girona last weekend.
With Arsenal facing Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, it is likely that Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli will each get a 45-minute run-out at the Emirates Stadium.
