Brazil confirmed on Sunday night that Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli had pain in his right calf over the weekend, and he had an MRI on Sunday night to assess the issue.
The scan showed a small area of muscle edema in the area, with the player having worn tape on his leg during training earlier in the day.
The good news is that the problem doesn’t seem to be serious enough for Martinelli to return to Arsenal. The player will continue to have treatment with the Brazilian national team’s medical department.
All the same, the 23-year-old is a doubt to face Peru on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning at 01:45 BST UK time), and you’d imagine he’s now also a doubt to play for Arsenal against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey pulled out of the international break before it started due to injury and illness, and Bukayo Saka has also since withdrawn with a hamstring problem. These breaks haven’t been a happy time for Mikel Arteta lately.
Martinelli has already made 10 appearances for Arsenal this season, including seven starts. He’s featured for at least a few minutes in every Gunners game this campaign.
The Brazilian’s form seemed to be picking up more recently, with two goals and two assists in his last five games, including the goal to give his team the lead against Southampton in their latest fixture.
Martinelli then went away on international duty and came off the bench for a few minutes against Chile, but whether he plays any further part in competitive match action this week remains to be seen.