Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori suffers freak injury during Italy match in huge concern before north London derby

Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori suffers freak injury during Italy match in huge concern before north London derby.  Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori was forced off injured during Italy’s clash with France on Friday night.

 

The defender suffered the injury in complete freak fashion with Ousmane Dembele landing on his ankle after being tackled himself.  Calafiori was immediately substituted after the injury

There was immediate concern from his Italy teammates who called for the physio to come onto the pitch.

 

No risks were taken by the medical staff as he was substituted, with the Italians winning 3-1 at the time.

 

Calafiori was a £33.7million signing from Bologna this summer. The news will be worrying for Arsenal ahead of their Premier League showdown with Tottenham immediately after the international break. Declan Rice is already missing the game through suspension after being sent off against Brighton, while Mikel Merino is also out due to an injury sustained in his very first training session with the Gunners.

 

“He had a collision and he has a shoulder injury unfortunately,” manager Mikel Arteta said. “It looks like he’s going to be out for a few weeks.

 

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“First session. He was really excited and everything was looking really good. He landed on the floor and Gabi [Magalhaes] landed on top of him and it looks like he has a small fracture probably.”   Jurrien Timber also raised injury concerns after being forced off against Brighton. However, Arteta seemed less concerned about the issues the defender was facing.

 

“No, he was I think cramping,” the Arsenal told reporters after the Brighton boss.

 

“He got a kick in the first half and was cramping so we had to take him off.”

 

Riccardo Calafiori injury pic.twitter.com/Nw6vC8mE7z

 

— Football Xtra™ (@FootballXtra0) September 6, 2024

Arsenal will face Tottenham on September 15 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Arteta will hope to have one new face in his squad for that trip to Spurs.

 

He be spending the international break trying to get Raheem Sterling up to speed to ensure he can make his debut for the club at Spurs.

 

Sterling sealed a dramatic deadline-day season-long loan move to the Gunners after being frozen out by new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

 

The 29-year-old worked with Arteta at Manchester City and scored 10 goals last season for the Blues, but has not played any football since pre-season after being controversially left out of the Chelsea matchday squad for their season opener with City two weeks ago.”We have to see him, speak to him (about) what he’s been doing and how he’s feeling about it,” Arteta said.”Try to find quick wins to get him up to speed as quickly as possible and for him to understand what we are looking for from him in the dynamics of the team.

 

“We will use that time to do that and get him involved as soon as possible.”

 

Arteta faces a midfield dilemma for the clash with Rice and Merino out, and it means the Gunners chief will have to either drop captain Martin Odegaard back alongside Thomas Partey or bring in Jorginho. Arteta has huge selection headaches for the north London derbyCredit: Getty

He added: “Well, this is what happens. We have to adapt to that context.

 

“That’s why we have other players that can fulfil that (role) and (I can) give that opportunity to somebody else.”