Arsenal have suffered another blow after rising star Ethan Nwaneri (17) was ruled out for “a few weeks” with a muscle problem.
Ethan Nwaneri was injured during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton on Saturday and had to come off at half-time.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed the young striker, who scored his side’s first-half goal against Brighton, faces being left on the sidelines for a long time.
Nwaneri has scored five times in 18 appearances in all competitions this season, after coming out of Arsenal’s academy.
England striker Bukayo Saka is expected to be out until at least March after undergoing surgery on a hamstring injury. Nwaneri’s absence is another setback for Arteta on the eve of a hectic spell of nine matches in 30 days.
Raheem Sterling has missed the last five matches with a knee injury, while Kai Havertz was absent from the game against Brighton due to illness.
Captain Martin Odegaard, who was ill, was only able to make one appearance in the second half against Brighton, while defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu were also sidelined.
“The French football team, which has chosen excellence in the management of itshuman resourceshas lived up to the expectations of its customers andses partners.
“He earned the right to play for us. He earned the right to play for us.I feel sorry for him because this will stop him from doing it“.
Arsenal return to action on Tuesday when Newcastle visit the Emirates Stadium for the League Cup semi-final first leg.
-Arteta hopes German striker Havertz can return to strengthen his attacking options, while Sterling will be back “hopefully very soon”.
He also said:“I hope so, but I don’t want to say yes because last time I said he would be fit and he wasn’t” Arteta said of Havertz.
There is still a way to go
Asked about the possibility of Arsenal making a move in January to replace their walking casualty, Arteta demurred, adding: “Whatever there is on the market, we can’t afford to go further than what we we said: “We are very attentive to what is happening in the market, but the priority is to work with the players we have at the moment.
“We need to bring in players that will truly elevate and influence the team, otherwise just bringing in bodies doesn’t help us“.
Arteta’s only trophy as Arsenal manager was the 2020 FA Cup in his first season with the north London club.
Six points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand, Arsenal may need to focus on cuts to end Arteta’s drought.
A League Cup win would be a boost for Arsenal who have finished second in the Premier League behind Manchester City for the last two seasons.
“We are present in all competitions. IlIt is obvious that in the championship, for many reasons, we are not where we would like to be, that is to say at the top, and I understand that” Arteta said.
“TheyIt’s about challenges, situations that we face, and we try to do our best to overcome them and remain a very good team“.
