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This international break has already not run smoothly for Arsenal from a fitness point of view. Kai Havertz picked up a hamstring injury on the first day of the window in Amsterdam, which has to be a concern, considering the German's recent injury record. Then, on Thursday, Christos Tzolis was forced off during the first half of Greece's 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in Thessaloniki, another blow. Now though, has a third player returned to London Colney with an issue?
As confirmed by the Football Association on Monday morning, Ezri Konsa has withdrawn from the England squad, ahead of Tuesday night's UEFA Nations League clash with Czech Republic at Wembley. They add that the centre-back has returned to Arsenal "for further assessment".
Konsa had sat out training a couple of times last week, which saw him miss England's 2-0 win in Prague last Tuesday. However, Thomas Tuchel confirmed that the 28 year old completed full training on Friday, before playing all 90 minutes of the Three Lions' 7-0 demolition of Croatia at Stadion Rujevica on Saturday. Tuchel himself confirmed that Konsa's knock "was not a serious issue", which Mikel Arteta and Arsenal fans will certainly hope is the case.
Since debuting against his former club at Villa Park, the summer signing has been excellent, starting each of the last four Premier League and Champions League matches. As soon as William Saliba was sidelined for an extended period of time due to a back injury exacerbated during the World Cup, Arteta made Konsa his number one target and, so far, he is justifying his £55 million price tag.
It is not just Saliba though; Arsenal were very short of defensive options going into the break. Benjamin White was forced off injured at the Stadium of Light, meaning Jurriën Timber started for the first time since 14 March against Brighton, a match we'd all like to forget. The Dutchman then played sporadically for the Netherlands during this window, hopefully being eased back up to full speed.
Meantime, Cristhian Mosquera suffered a muscle injury on 31 August, and has not been seen since, while Piero Hincapié did not go away with Ecuador due to a fitness concern.
Now, there is optimism that Timber, Mosquera and Hincapié will all be available to face Leeds on Saturday, White's status is less clear, but having Konsa available too would be a massive boost. Arsenal are about to enter a hectic period, so Arteta will need everyone to be available.
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