Arsenal have suffered another injury setback, with Riccardo Calafiori departing the Italy squad early and heading back to north London from international duty. According to Fabrizio Romano, the defender withdrew from the Italian camp on Saturday, missing his nation's World Cup qualifier against Norway scheduled for Sunday evening.
Romano said: "Riccardo Calafiori has left Italy camp today and returns to London to be assessed by Arsenal staff." Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso admitted "he tried to be available but he can't force now," regarding Calafiori's situation.
Arsenal's medical team have been notified of Calafiori's return to the capital, and are reportedly not anticipating any serious complications. This development follows reports in Italian media suggesting the 23-year-old 'ignored' Arsenal's request for him to remain in London throughout the international window.
The defender has proved integral to Mikel Arteta's league-leading outfit this season, featuring from the start in all 11 of the Gunners' Premier League matches to date.
With Arsenal already managing multiple injury concerns whilst maintaining a four-point advantage over second-placed Manchester City, the club will understandably be keen to prevent any additional problems ahead of a demanding fixture schedule.
Italian reports on Wednesday indicated that Calafiori had been training individually before being completely absent from the match against Moldova the next evening.
Although it's understood he has a hip injury, it's believed not to be too serious.
La Repubblica claimed that Arsenal would have preferred Calafiori to avoid international duty to recover from his hip injury and not exacerbate the problem. However, Gattuso and delegation chief, Gianluigi Buffon, reportedly encouraged players to prioritise the national team in their quest for World Cup qualification next summer in North America.
This comes as Arsenal anticipate welcoming back several first-team players when they resume action on Sunday, November 23, against fierce rivals Tottenham.
Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz have made significant strides in their recovery from respective knee injuries. While there were suggestions that both could have featured in Arsenal Under-21s' match with Cardiff City on Tuesday night, neither player was present for the 3-1 Football League Trophy defeat.
While Norway manager Stale Solbakken believes Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard is still "some distance away" from his own comeback. Gabriel Jesus is also expected to return ahead of the new year, following ACL surgery at the end of January.
Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli are also on the mend from hamstring and groin injuries respectively, picked up just before the international break.