Ezri Konsa of England is put under pressure by Ayase Ueda of Japan during the international friendly match between England and Japan at Wembley Stadium on March 31, 2026 in London, England.
Ezri Konsa (Image credit: Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
The Gunners' summer signing sat out full group training ahead of the Three Lions' departure for their match against Czechia, sparking fears of another potential injury blow for Mikel Arteta's side.
England released an official update detailing the squad's preparation arrangements, communicating the following message: "Ezri Konsa and Nico O'Reilly are following their own individual programmes at Tottenham Hotspur's training ground this morning. All other 22 players are involved in group training ahead of the squad departing for Prague this afternoon."
When a key defender is sidelined from main training, it inevitably sets off alarm bells, but Arteta and the Arsenal medical staff should not hit the panic button just yet.
Ezri Konsa sits out full England training
Ezri Konsa
Ezri Konsa in Arsenal red this season
Konsa has not been sent back to his club. If the defender had sustained a significant injury, he would have returned to Arsenal immediately for scans and a formal medical evaluation.
The fact that Konsa remained with the squad and boarded the flight to Prague indicates that he remains in contention to feature for Thomas Tuchel's side.
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The decision to place Konsa on an individual regime is almost certainly a matter of proactive load management. Modern sports science and physical monitoring track biometric data and workload metrics with precision.
And given Konsa's heavy accumulation of minutes throughout 2026, the medical team likely identified increased fatigue indicators. Tailoring his schedule is a precautionary measure to reduce his heightened risk of injury before it has the chance to occur on the pitch.
Nevertheless, Arteta will be monitoring Konsa’s status with caution. Arsenal’s backline is already under considerable strain following a succession of setbacks. The Gunners are currently without key central defender William Saliba for an extended period, while Jurrien Timber has also been sidelined recently.
A busy schedule of Premier League and European fixtures awaits Arsenal after the international break, and Arteta cannot afford further casualties in his defensive unit.
Konsa's training programme appears to be a preventative step rather than anything more worrisome. Still, those at the Emirates will be hoping the defender returns to London unscathed following England's three remaining Nations League fixtures.