Arsenal's injury concerns have deepened after summer signing Christos Tzolis suffered a suspected major injury while representing Greece. The £34m winger pulled up after just 18 minutes, clutching his hamstring before being substituted by Giorgos Masouras.
The 24-year-old becomes the latest Arsenal player to be struck down during the international break. Kai Havertz, who has displaced Viktor Gyokeres as the club's first-choice striker, has already returned to London Colney after sustaining a suspected hamstring problem while playing for Germany. He remains very doubtful for the Premier League clash with Leeds United next weekend.
Encouraging signs for Tzolis
There was one positive sign for Arsenal regarding Tzolis: after receiving medical attention, he appeared keen to continue, but Greece manager Ivan Jovanovic opted to substitute him anyway. The summer arrival from Club Brugge has made an excellent start in north London, registering several assists in the opening weeks of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard raised concerns over a potential ankle issue following a late challenge from Bernardo Silva in the match against Portugal. However, Norway manager Stale Solbakken allayed those fears, and Odegaard started his nation's most recent encounter against Wales, according to Football London.
Defensive worries and returns
Ezri Konsa missed England training earlier this week but secured a place on the bench against Czechia on Tuesday evening. Declan Rice did not report to the national team camp, having withdrawn from Three Lions duty due to load management.
Arteta is already without Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and William Saliba. There has been encouraging news on Saliba, with French reports suggesting he is aiming to return to training in November. His comeback will be managed carefully given the persistent back problem that has troubled him for several months. Mosquera is expected to be fit to face Leeds, having not featured since the victory over Aston Villa.
Piero Hincapie is a potential injury concern after being unexpectedly left out of the squad for the Carabao Cup tie against Ipswich Town, although he did travel to Brighton a few days later. He was tipped to start that match as second choice behind Riccardo Calafiori, but Myles Lewis-Skelly was selected from the outset instead.
Jurrien Timber has made his return, though his game time is being carefully monitored. He made a 10-minute appearance against Serbia and was named in the starting XI, seemingly at centre-back, to face Tzolis' Greece on Thursday.
Selection dilemma and positives
If Tzolis has sustained an injury, Arteta faces a dilemma on the left flank, with Eberechi Eze appearing as his only viable option. Noni Madueke could also fill that role but has been used as the backup to Bukayo Saka on the right to manage his playing time.
Viktor Gyokeres' international break provided some positivity, with the forward netting in both of Sweden's Nations League victories. Bruno Guimaraes also scored for Brazil in their win over Australia, while Mikel Merino contributed an assist in his 33-minute cameo for Spain in their 4-1 victory against Croatia.
