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Balogun to miss Arsenal return with shoulder injury

Folarin Balogun won't be making a return trip to north London after all.

Monaco announced that the striker will miss Wednesday's Champions League match against his former side Arsenal as he continues to deal with a shoulder injury.

Balogun was not on the Ligue 1 side's traveling squad for the match at Emirates Stadium, which was released on Tuesday.

The U.S. men's national team forward only just returned after missing nearly two months with a dislocated shoulder, but suffered a setback after a clash with Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi in a match on Dec. 1.

After missing a 2-0 win against Toulouse over the weekend, the 23-year-old won't recover in time for Wednesday's game against the Gunners.

Balogun came up through Arsenal's academy, which he joined when he was eight years old. The striker played a handful of games for Arsenal's senior team before making his big breakthrough during a loan to Reims in 2022–23.

The striker's performances with Reims led Monaco to pay Arsenal up to €40 million to acquire his services permanently in the summer of 2023.

Balogun scored eight goals last season in his first campaign with Monaco, far short of the 22 he scored at Reims the previous season.

The U.S. international has scored three goals in 10 matches this season for Monaco.

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