Arsenal left-back Riccardo Calafiori has pulled out of the Italy squad with a hip injury, and the Gunners' belief over the severity of his issue has also been revealed.
The former Bologna man was not involved in his side's 2-0 victory over Moldova in World Cup 2026 Qualifying on Thursday, havingarrived at the Azzurri camp nursing his problem.
Calafiori nevertheless remained with Gennaro Gattuso's squad for their upcoming fixture against Norway on Sunday, where Italy must win if they are to stand a chance of qualifying for the World Cup directly.
However, Gattuso - who allegedly told players to prioritise the national team over club commitments this month - has now confirmed that the 23-year-old will be returning to Arsenal.
"He tried to be available but he can’t force now," Gattuso told reporters, and Calafiori will now head back to London Colney for further assessment ahead of the return of domestic football.
Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori withdraws from Italy squad with hip injury
Charles Watts YouTube image
However, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are not anticipating a serious injury for Calafiori, who is not feared to be a fitness doubt for any of the Gunners' upcoming matches.
Mikel Arteta's men return from the international break with a high-profile North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, three days before taking on Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The Premier League leaders then return to domestic action with another daunting derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on November 30, but everything indicates that Calafiori will be available for Arsenal's upcoming nightmare run.
The Italy international endured a disrupted debut season in North London due to injury, but he has now established himself as Arteta's first-choice left-back, starting all 11 Premier League games so far this season.
Calafiori has registered one goal and two assists in 12 matches across all competitions during the 2024-25 campaign, although he has not played in the Champions League since September's opening win over Athletic Bilbao.
How can Arsenal, Mikel Arteta replace Riccardo Calafiori?
Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly pictured on May 7, 2025
While there are no major concerns over Calafiori's fitness, Arteta has no need to unnecessarily risk the Italy international, whom he possesses two natural backup options for.
Myles Lewis-Skelly and Piero Hincapie are both like-for-like replacements for the 23-year-old, and the former will be raring to go for the North London derby after being left out of Thomas Tuchel's most recent England squad.
Hincapie is currently away with the Ecuador national team, but the Bayer Leverkusen loanee was selected over Lewis-Skelly to start at left-back against Slavia Prague in the Champions League earlier this month.
Arteta also has the option of using Jurrien Timber on the left and starting Ben White at right-back, but the Spaniard is unlikely to deploy the Dutchman on the left unless an emergency arises.
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