Arsenal: Lucas Torreira injury at precisely wrong moment

Lucas Torreira was substituted at half-time of Uruguay’s match with Mexico and had an ice pack around his leg while sitting on the bench in the second half. The injury comes at precisely the wrong time for the Arsenal midfielder.

It hasn’t been the quickest of starts to life at his new club for Lucas Torreira. The midfielder returned late after his escapades at the World Cup in the summer and was determined not ready to start the first game due to a lack of full match fitness, which only adds to the difficulties of adapting to a new team, league and country.

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However, now four games into the new season and Torreira is still yet to start a competitive match. It is not yet a point of concern, but it is something that is a little frustrating, especially after seeing the impact he had when he was introduced midway through the second half against Cardiff City last weekend, completing 100% of his passes and providing the crucial assist for Alexandre Lacazette’s late winner.

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When Torreira would make his first Arsenal appearance is Unai Emery’s decision. From an external perspective, there is little but speculation to go off — there is no fitness information, no public knowledge of Emery’s intentions with the midfield and Torreira, no way of knowing whether he has impressed in training or not. But there was a general thought that Torreira could start after the international break.

He would have been coming off his best performance in which he altered the course of the match substantially, he would have four substitute appearances and whatever minutes he accrued for Uruguay under his belt, and Emery would have had two weeks’ preparation to set up the team with Torreira at its heart, rather than rushing him in like he may have had to earlier in the year.

The line of thinking made a lot of sense. It is certainly what I had expected, that was until Torreira was substituted at half-time in Uruguay’s match against Mexico and then sat through the whole of the second half on the bench with an ice pack wrapped around his left leg.

There has been no news about the severity or type of injury this is. The pack looks to be focused on the calf area, but any news is just speculation at this point. But even if he only missed a day or two of training, it would be a little surprising to see him start against Newcastle United next Saturday in just a week’s time. Emery has shown a hesitance to rush Torreira into the team if he is not fully sharp. Why would this be any different?

As such, this injury, whatever it may be, could not have come at a worse time for the midfielder. Just as the season begins to ramp up with league, domestic cup and European commitments, Torreira would have been hoping for a run of starts in the team to establish himself at the club. That is now jeopardy.

Obviously, this could all be much ado about nothing. It depends on what the injury is. But the timing unfortunate. Torreira’s frustrating start to life in north London may persist.