A hand on the back of the leg is how managers lose a night’s sleep. A shake of the head is how they get it back.
Substitutes who have barely started a league season feel tightness when they finally play an hour. That is conditioning. It is not always a scan.
International breaks are already full of real absences. A false alarm is the one clubs will take.
READ MORE: Leeds United handed huge injury boost ahead of Arsenal clash
Luis de la Fuente has played down fears over Martin Zubimendi after the Arsenal midfielder came off in Spain’s 4-1 win over Croatia. He was replaced with about 20 minutes left after putting a hand on the back of his leg. The Spain coach said there was no injury.
“There was a moment when I got worried because he put his hand on the back of his leg, but he shook his head to say no [injury],” De la Fuente said.
“When he came off, he told me that he has played a lot of matches without getting many minutes and that he was feeling some tightness in his calves.”
Zubimendi had been unused at Wembley in the defeat of England, then started in Seville. Arsenal’s match report had him playing 72 minutes. Mikel Merino came on at 57 and assisted Nico Williams. It was Zubimendi’s first Spain start of the window.
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At club level he has fallen behind Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bruno Guimarães. His only start this season was the Carabao Cup tie at Ipswich. He has played 90 Premier League minutes in total, spread across five substitute appearances. The calf tightness matches that lack of rhythm more than a fresh blow.
It lands as welcome news in a bad break. Kai Havertz is back at London Colney with a hamstring and no club update on the timescale. Martin Ødegaard has been named in Norway’s squad for Wales after scans showed no significant ankle damage, though Ståle Solbakken still will not say if he starts. Ezri Konsa missed training with a minor issue and, according to the Standard, was fit enough for the bench against Czechia. William Saliba is targeting November.
Spain host Czechia on Saturday. Zubimendi is available unless the tightness changes overnight. Arsenal play Leeds on 10 October. A midfielder who shook his head and blamed a lack of minutes is not the problem Arteta will be waiting on at London Colney. The ones who left camp early still are.
Arsenal - John Mikel Obi
Arsenal - John Mikel Obi
Arsenal huddle
Arsenal huddle