Mikel Arteta has had a week to forget as Arsenal boss with a couple of players now potentially facing a spell on the sidelines.
Arsenal have had the worst of luck during the international break.
Riccardo Calafiori’s injury is believed not to be serious but we await an official update on his situation ahead of the North London derby.
Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard’s injury could see him spend an extended spell on the sidelines with the Tottenham clash definitely coming too soon after he was spotted on crutches.
Mikel Arteta now has a big decision to make with Kai Havertz and Jorginho possibly coming into the side.
There was another scare for the Spaniard last night as another player went down injured
Ethan Nwaneri is one of the players who could replace Martin Odegaard, but his lack of experience makes him a risk in a high profile game like the North London derby.
The Englishman had an injury scare during the match against the Germany Under-19s. After a coming together, Nwaneri walked gingerly and held his stomach and ribs area for a few minutes. He then decided to go down for some treatment, holding his ribs and stomach area again, resulting in the physios coming onto the pitch to attend to the midfielder for at least a minute (Live on German Football’s YouTube, 49.50).
However, it appears as if Nwaneri was fine as he continued on and played the remainder of the game, though it may be worth Arteta keeping an eye on him as muscles can often tense up.
He scored a goal in the game and had a moment of brilliance when he almost scored an absolute screamer after taking on several players and cutting in from the right.
What does Mikel Arteta think of Nwaneri?
Mikel Arteta was quick to praise Nwaneri back in December of last year, comparing him to Jack Wilshere.
“Something unique that he’s got that I really liked from the beginning is his ability to take the ball in tight areas, to escape a little bit like Jack Wilshere used to do.
“The personality he has, he trains with us like he trains with the under-18s, under-16s. And I love that in a player.
“He’s got that thing between his teeth as well that he wants to show every single day how good he is and impress people. When you have someone like that you have to give him hope as well.”
