Arsenal have been dealt a blow with Oleksandr Zinchenko picking up an injury ahead of the crucial Premier League title race run-in.
Zinchenko will be absent from the Gunners’ game against Brighton this weekend after picking up a calf injury last time out.
The Ukrainian was substituted against Newcastle with Kieran Tierney coming on to replace him and the back-up left back is expected to now start upcoming fixtures.
There have been some mixed reports over how long Zinchenko will be out, so here’s all the latest on the defender’s injury.
Zinchenko injury latest
Initially, it was suggested that Zinchenko’s injury was set to rule him out until the end of the season.
This would have been a huge blow to Arsenal’s title chances with the 26-year-old being a key member of the defence.
However, this week, Arteta has rubbished those reports by offering a bullish response to questions about whether Zinchenko has played his last game this season.
The Gunners boss simply stated: “No.”
Zinchenko is not the only player who has picked up a possible season-ending injury, with William Saliba remaining on the sidelines.
Saliba has missed recent fixtures with a back injury and is set to continue his recovery over the next couple of games.
Speaking on both of his injured defenders on Friday, Arteta said: “We have another session tomorrow before the Brighton game. We’re trying to get players back before that day.
“Today they obviously haven’t trained on the pitch, so we will know more tomorrow.
“With William it’s for sure he’s not going to be fit for this game and we’re doubting him for next game [vs Nottingham Forest] as well.
“But we want to keep the hope going and make sure we give ourselves the best chance to bring them back.”
So Arteta is hopeful that Zinchenko will be back before the end of the season as Arsenal continue to fight for the Premier League title.
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