Mikel Arteta speaks at a press conference
Mikel Arteta spoke at a press conference on Tuesday
Mikel Arteta has said that Arsenal are "looking into" warm-up injuries suffered by , Riccardo Calafiori and William Saliba as of late. The Gunners were forced into a last-minute reshuffle on Sunday when Calafiori pulled up ahead of Arsenal's clash with Wigan Athletic.
It came as the second-time that the Italian defender has dropped out of a game this season following the pre-match warm-up, having also picked up an issue ahead of December's fixture with . Elsewhere, Saliba suffered a twisted ankle ahead of August's 1-0 loss to , replaced five minutes into the fixture by Cristhian Mosquera as a result.
In late January, meanwhile, Saka was spotted limping off the pitch ahead of Arsenal's match with , with Noni Madueke deployed instead of him as the 4-0 win at Elland Road got underway. And now, Arteta has explained that the club are looking into the frequency of "very unusual" pre-match injuries.
Speaking at his press conference on Tuesday afternoon, looking towards Arsenal's clash with , Arteta said: "The first time was William at Liverpool, two with Riccardo and then Bukayo at Leeds.
"Very unusual. Probably happen once or twice in six years. We are looking into it."
When asked if there was potentially a need to change the routine that players complete ahead of a game, Arteta added: "No, and when I was a player as well, you like your routine. At half-time we sit for 15 minutes and then go full gas so maybe it is something we need to look at."
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