Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal faces an injury concern for the upcoming North London derby as key left-back Riccardo Calafiori withdraws from the Italian national team due to a hip issue, raising doubts about his availability against Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has reportedly left the Italy national team camp early due to an ongoing hip injury, raising significant concerns for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta ahead of the crucial North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
According to a report from GiveMeSport, Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori has been forced to leave the Italy national team camp early due to persistent injury concerns.
The 23-year-old defender, who has been a key figure in the Gunners’ title challenge this season, starting all 11 Premier League matches, has been nursing a hip problem.
Initial reports from Italy, including an article in La Repubblica cited by Football London, claimed that the defender had reportedly ‘ignored’ Arsenal’s preference for him to remain in London to fully recover during the international break.
Calafiori, who trained separately from the squad due to his hip discomfort, was subsequently ruled out of Italy’s World Cup qualifier against Moldova.
Despite the apparent setback, Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso had previously praised the player for his commitment after he joined the squad. Gattuso was quoted saying:
“I have to thank the likes of [Nicolo] Barella, Calafiori and [Alessandro] Bastoni for being here, as it was by no means to be taken for granted.”
The latest news confirms that Calafiori’s injury doubts remain ahead of the North London Derby on November 23rd, adding another defensive headache to a growing list of injury issues for Mikel Arteta’s side.
However, The Standard suggests the injury is ‘not thought to be serious’, offering a hint of optimism that he could still be fit to face Tottenham.