Arteta has lost a key player to injuryplaceholder image
Arteta has lost a key player to injury | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal are likely to be without one of their key players until after the international break.
It has been a superb few weeks for the Gunners, who are on a run of nine straight wins across all competitions, storming to six-points clear at the top of the Premier League. Arsenal also have a perfect record in the Champions League.
But such high performance often takes its toll, and the latest sees Arsenal lose a vital player in Viktor Gyokeres, who will miss the Champions League clash with Slavia Praha, and it’s almost certain he will miss this weekend’s Premier League fixture with Sunderland, given Arteta’s level of concern.
“He’s definitely not available. He hasn't trained today, and we need to do some more tests and scans in the next few days to understand the extent of the injury, but for this game he's not available,” Arteta confirmed.
Asked if there is any suggestion of what the injury could be, he added: “I'll leave that to the doctors; they will explain. I don't want to talk anymore [about it]. We are here to talk about tomorrow's match and the players that are available and we'll see in the next week or so.
“I am concerned because he hasn't had many muscular issues and he had to leave the pitch and he was feeling something and that’s obviously never a good sign. Especially for a player that is very, very explosive, so we are digging in a little bit more to understand where we are in terms of injury and we will announce it when we know more.”
Asked about how Gyokeres is feeling, Arteta continued: “He was very disappointed after the match with what he felt, but this is part of football. At the end of the day, if you expect a linear line, everything going up, it's not going to happen. If he's got something he's going to have to deal with, we will help him to do that. As you said, he was in a really good moment, in a really good form, it's very important for the team. But for tomorrow, we don't have him, so that's it.”
Given the international break comes after this weekend, it’s unlikely Arsenal will risk playing Gyokeres in the Sunderland game, especially with it being a muscular injury. Arsenal are hoping to get Kai Havertz back some time after the break, and the last thing they want is for Gyokeres to now miss an extended period.
Gyokeres scored his latest goal for Arsenal in the win over Burnley on the weekend. Arteta said of his performance after the game: “I think it was one of the best games that he's played. I think overall his performance was exceptional; he was part of the first goal.”
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