Mikel Arteta provides regarding Arsenal harm replace as Gunners dealt large blow
Mikel Arteta delivered a concerning injury update on his latest fitness headache after he was forced to make an early substitution in Arsenal’s 3-1 Champions League victory over Bayern Munich
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that he substituted Leandro Trossard as a precautionary measure after the forward experienced discomfort during the triumph over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Noni Madueke replaced the Belgian international ten minutes before half-time and proceeded to score the crucial goal after the break. Trossard had found the net for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening, with strikes from Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Martinelli clinching victory against the Bundesliga giants.
However, worry quickly arose regarding Trossard’s problem when the Belgium international was taken off before the break.
Arteta said: “With Leo, we don’t know. He said he felt something, we didn’t want to take any risk, obviously.”
The Gunners meet Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in the Premier League, the first of five matches they must navigate within the coming 13 days. After that game, Arsenal host Brentford at the Emirates Stadium, before travelling to face Aston Villa and Club Brugge in the Champions League, then welcoming Wolverhampton Wanderers in mid-December.
Arsenal’s attacking options are already heavily restricted without Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres, who are all ruled out through injury. Gabriel Magalhaes is another vital player presently unavailable due to injury.
The defender had appeared in every match this season for Arsenal before picking up an injury whilst on international duty with Brazil, forcing him to miss last Sunday’s North London Derby victory against Tottenham Hotspur.
The timing proves particularly frustrating given the forward was enjoying his best spell of the campaign. All three of his Premier League goals have come since the Premier League resumed after the October international break.
His performance reached a high point in the 4-1 demolition of Spurs when he scored the opener and set up Eberechi Eze for the fourth. Trossard has notched five goals and the same number of assists in 16 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
Only Bukayo Saka and Gyokeres have found the back of the net more often, with six goals each, while Declan Rice has just one more assist. Trossard was linked with a move away from Arsenal during the summer transfer window.
Arteta has revealed why he was determined to retain the forward at the Emirates despite the speculation. The Gunners boss declared after the North London Derby: “For me, it was forbidden for him [Trossard] to leave.
“No chance. I know the player that he is, and surrounded by the players that we have, he’s a player who is going to make a difference for us.
“I fully agree. It was one of the best games, so aggressive with and without the ball, so effective, he could have scored another one or two goals, and he was involved in so many positive actions.”
