Arsenal's Premier League title charge and Champions League campaign are suddenly shrouded in concern. The international break that was supposed to offer respite has instead produced a string of injury alarms, and Mikel Arteta will need positive news from the medical department before the week is out.
The most alarming situation involves Noni Madueke. The 24-year-old was handed a start for England against Uruguay at Wembley on Friday night, but his evening ended in the 38th minute after an awkward collision with Rodrigo Aguirre as he attempted to drive into the penalty area. He tried to play on after treatment, went down again without contact, and was replaced by Jarrod Bowen. The moment that sent the biggest shockwave through the Arsenal camp came after the final whistle, when Madueke was spotted walking through the Wembley mixed zone with a brace fitted around his left knee.
Thomas Tuchel admitted he was "worried" after the substitution but tried to remain optimistic. The full extent of the injury will only be confirmed after medical assessments at Arsenal's London Colney training base, where Madueke has now returned ahead of England's match against Japan. His availability for Arsenal's FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton on April 4 is in serious doubt.
Madueke's situation is the most urgent but far from the only concern. Declan Rice, who had been managing fatigue across a heavy schedule, trained with England on Saturday before being released from the squad on Saturday evening as part of a group of eight players sent back to their clubs for assessment. Bukayo Saka also withdrew from the England camp over the weekend. Thomas Tuchel had already been managing his workload carefully by bringing him in late.
That leaves Arteta to manage an injury list that was already significant before the break. William Saliba was ruled out of the France squad with recurring ankle pain, with the FFF requiring a minimum ten-day rest period. Gabriel also withdrew from Brazil duty. Leandro Trossard, Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze all missed international games through fitness issues, with Eze facing around a month out following his calf injury in the Champions League win over Leverkusen.
Arsenal lead the Premier League by nine points and have a Champions League quarter-final first leg at Sporting CP on April 7. The squad is deep enough to absorb individual absences. The question is whether they can absorb all of them at once.
