“Unfortunately…” – Mikel Arteta confirms ‘muscular injury’ to key player with another match days away
Oleksandr Zinchenko could miss the start of the new season for Arsenal after Mikel Arteta revealed the defender has incurred a new injury setback.
Zinchenko, 26, excelled for Arsenal after joining from Premier League champion Manchester City during the previous season.
He contributed 33 appearances across all competitions to the Gunners’ second-place league finish.
However, he was sidelined for 10 games in the middle of the season due to a calf injury, one of several injuries that hampered his season.
In the final weeks of the season, he suffered another calf injury that has continued over into preseason.
The Ukrainian has not appeared in any of Arsenal’s preseason matches, including Thursday’s 5-3 victory over Barcelona.
He is a significant doubt for Wednesday’s match against Monaco at the Emirates, Arsenal’s last match before facing his former club City in the Community Shield on August 6.
Arteta disclosed after the victory over Barcelona that Zinchenko was still battling an injury, but expressed optimism that he would return shortly.
“Unfortunately, Alex had a minor muscle problem. “I believe he will return soon, but it’s unfortunate that he hasn’t been with us for the entire tour,” he said.
Declan Rice also did not play against Barcelona, and Arteta verified that the club-record signing was injured in training.
“Dec had a fairly powerful kick in practice, so we didn’t want to take the chance,” the Spaniard explained.
Yesterday, we decided not to train because he wasn’t feeling particularly well.
Zinchenko hopes to be healthy enough to perform in the Game 4 Ukraine charity match on August 5, the day before the Community Shield, at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium.
The match is being held to raise money for the reconstruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure and facilities in the wake of Russia’s invasion last year and the ongoing conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.
However, Arsenal will likely adopt a cautious approach with Zinchenko and prevent him from playing if there are still doubts about his fitness, as their August 12 Premier League opener is against Nottingham Forest.
It appears probable that the Gunners will be without the Ukrainian for the first few weeks of the season as he attempts to regain full fitness.
“Unfortunately…” – Mikel Arteta confirms ‘muscular injury’ to key player with another match days away