Ezri Konsa remains a doubt for Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Leeds United as he continues to suffer from a dead leg.
Konsa started the Gunners’ last three league matches before the international break, having signed from Aston Villa towards the end of the summer window. The centre-back reported for England duty with a minor problem, but still played the full 90 minutes versus Spain and Croatia.
Withdrawal from England camp
However, after sustaining another blow to his quad injury in the 7-0 win over Croatia, Konsa withdrew from the England camp and will not feature in the final fixture of the international break against Czechia.
Speaking after his withdrawal, Thomas Tuchel said: ‘Unfortunately, he got another hit on the quad and that caused a light trauma and we decided not to let him play through this pain, so he left camp to get treatment for both his issues now. I think nothing major, but not worth the risk taking.’
Arsenal’s defensive options
However, while the issue may not be serious, The Standard reports that Konsa is not certain to be fit in time for Arsenal’s return to league action against Leeds on Saturday lunchtime.
Should Konsa not return, Arteta will likely turn to one of Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera, who have both been seen on the training pitches over the international break. Ben White is also closing in on a return, having missed out on fixtures against Ipswich Town and Brighton prior to the international break.
Further injury concerns
But there have been further injury woes for Arteta over the international break, with Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis both picking up knocks while away with their respective countries.
Havertz was forced off with a hamstring injury in Germany’s first game of the break against the Netherlands and immediately returned to Arsenal to undergo tests. The extent of the injury is not publicly known, but, like Konsa, Havertz is expected to be a doubt for the visit of Leeds.
Tzolis, meanwhile, is expected to be out for around two to three weeks after sustaining an injury against the Netherlands. As well as this weekend’s match against Leeds, Tzolis would also miss two Champions League matches against Lille and Bayern Munich and another Premier League game against Nottingham Forest on October 18. Tzolis could potentially return for Arsenal’s Premier League fixture at home to Everton on October 24.
