Arsenal's Carabao Cup final hangover got worse on Monday morning. Within hours of Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City at Wembley, three players had pulled out of international duty: Eberechi Eze (England), William Saliba (France) and Jurrien Timber (Netherlands).
Eze's was the most high-profile withdrawal. The 27-year-old had already missed the final itself with a calf problem — Arteta confirming he had tried everything to get him fit. After the game the manager delivered a blunt verdict: "No. He's out. We have to do another scan in six or seven days and wait and see the results. It is his calf."
Eze had been named in Thomas Tuchel's 35-man England squad for friendlies against Uruguay at Wembley on March 27 and Japan at the same venue on March 31. Harvey Barnes of Newcastle is under consideration as a replacement, with the FA yet to confirm any additional call-up.
Saliba's withdrawal followed quickly. The French Football Federation confirmed the Arsenal centre-back cannot join the national team camp beginning Monday due to recurring pain in his left ankle, requiring a minimum rest period of ten days.
Timber became the third Arsenal player to withdraw, also ruled out of Netherlands duty.
Arsenal remain nine points clear at the top of the Premier League and are still in the FA Cup and the Champions League quarter-finals. The international break, frustrating as it is, gives all three a chance to recover before April's fixture pile-up.
