Against Shakhtar Donetsk, Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori walked out with an injury.
Riccardo Calafiori appeared to hurt his knee vs ShakhtarCredit: Getty
The defender receieved treatment but could not continueCredit: Getty
He hobbled off and was replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly
The Gunners’ 1-0 triumph in their third Champions League match of the season was tempered by the defender’s apparent knee injury.
With 68 minutes on the clock, Calafiori stumbled and seemed to twist his leg on his way down.
After being treated, the Italian made a fleeting attempt to continue, but he quickly indicated to the bench that he would need to remove himself.
He grimaced while teammates Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli comforted him.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, the wonderkid, took Calafiori’s place.
However, the fourth official’s insistence that the 18-year-old remove an ear piercing caused the presentation to be postponed.
Calafiori has previously experienced knee problems this season, and following the victory over Leicester in September, he was spotted wearing strapping.
His injury might hasten Oleksandr Zinchenko’s recovery from a knock.
Despite being listed on the bench tonight, the Ukrainian was judged unfit to play.
Since playing ten minutes in the 1-1 draw with Brighton in August, Zinchenko has not been seen.
On Sunday, Arsenal will host Liverpool in North London in a crucial match in the Premier League title chase.
Despite calling Calafiori’s injury a “worry” following tonight’s victory, Mikel Arteta did not rule him out of the game this weekend.
However, he disclosed that Saka was “unlikely” to play because he hasn’t been able to exercise since suffering a hamstring injury.