Arsenal’s injury problems have gone from bad to worse, with Riccardo Calafiori picking up what looks to be another nasty injury.
The Gunners have seen the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz all sidelined in recent months with – two of which suffered serious hamstring issues, perhaps due to overuse – their Premier League title hopes diminish week after week.
Mikel Arteta’s only route to silverware this season remains in the Champions League but Arsenal will have to be at their best to beat holders Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori injured on international duty
“This season, we have changed a lot of things in relation to, unfortunately, what has happened,” Arteta said earlier this year when asked about his side’s ongoing injury crisis.
“Obviously, when you’re missing four of your key attacking players and the defensive players, and situations that we have through the season, it’s very different. So it’s about adaptability and being still very consistent and very competitive.”
With fears beginning to grow again, another play has now suffered a setback on international duty, with their crucial first leg against Real Madrid fast approaching.
Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori was subbed off during a 2-1 Nations League defeat to Germany on Thursday and it doesn’t look good for the 22-year-old.
The left-back slipped and fell awkwardly while tracking back and has since returned to London already for further testing.
“We still don’t know if he’s injured,” Italy boss Luciano Spalletti said after the game. “Ricky felt something strange in his knee but we still don’t know.”
Teenage star Myles Lewis-Skelly has helped provide healthy competition in recent weeks and Arteta does look well covered in that area should Calafiori’s problem be a serious one.
Arsenal are back in Premier League action after the March international break, as they face Fulham on April 1.
How bad is Riccardo Calafiori’s injury?
The way that Calafiori twisted and landed on the groun at the San Siro, Arsenal fans are fearing an ACL injury – especially with the Italian’s history.
Calafiori suffered what some suspected to be a career-ending knee injury when he was just a teenager and was out of the game for two years. His mentality to come back stronger than before, force his way into the international setup with Italy and even seek playing time at Basel was part of the reason that Mikel Arteta was so sure that he wanted to make the star the fourth-most expensive Italian player of all time when he joined from high-flying Bologna.
The 22-year-old is recognised by FourFourTwo in our list of the best left-backs in the world – but this season has been one of adaptation and it’s important to remember that Calafiori is still young. Lewis-Skelly, meanwhile, has offered competition at left-back.
In FourFourTwo’s view, Calafiori may have been lucky. His leg was not planted in the ground as he fell and he may have gotten away with missing weeks of the season rather than months, with the decision to withdraw him from international duty immediately more of a precaution than anything else.
Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has concurred with this assessment.
