Arsenal Hit by 10-Player Injury Crisis During International Break

Arsenal Hit by 10-Player Injury Crisis During International Break
Eze, Rice, Saka, Madueke and others remain unavailable for upcoming fixtures.
Arsenal face crucial FA Cup, Champions League, and Premier League matches.

Arsenal’s injury concerns deepened during the international break as Martín Zubimendi withdrew from the Spain squad with a knee problem, becoming the club’s 10th player to pull out of national duty.

The midfielder featured as a substitute in Spain’s friendly win over Serbia on Friday, replacing Rodri of Manchester City, but he will miss Tuesday’s friendly against Egypt.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Defender Piero Hincapié also left the Ecuador camp ahead of their clash with the Netherlands. Hincapié played 72 minutes against Morocco but returned to north London to begin recovery from an undisclosed injury.

They join Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who exited the England squad early under Thomas Tuchel. Neither featured in England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley Stadium and will miss Tuesday’s match against Japan while undergoing medical evaluations. Winger Noni Madueke also suffered a knee problem during that fixture and was later seen wearing a brace.

Earlier, Eberechi Eze withdrew from international duty with a calf injury that forced him to miss Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace. He is expected to be sidelined for at least a month.

The club’s injury list also includes William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Leandro Trossard, and Jurriën Timber, who pulled out of the France, Brazil, Belgium, and Netherlands squads earlier in the window.

Arsenal face an uncertain period as Mikel Arteta prepares for a critical stretch of the season. The Gunners return to action in the FA Cup quarter-finals away to Southampton on 4 April, followed by a UEFA Champions League trip to Sporting CP on 7 April.

They currently lead the Premier League by nine points, with a home match against Bournemouth on 11 April before a potentially decisive clash with Manchester City on 19 April.