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Ezri Konsa's injury may force Arsenal to call on a familiar centre-back

ByKian Long
Cristhian Mosquera, Arsenal
Cristhian Mosquera, Arsenal | Stuart MacFarlane/GettyImages

Ezri Konsa is the latest Arsenal player to withdraw from international duty. The English defender cut the break short just before England face the Czech Republic national football team in the Nations League tonight.

Konsa has made the centre-back slot his own since signing from Aston Villa after the season had already started. Of course, his route into the first team was fast-tracked by William Saliba's injury, but Konsa took no time at all to settle in once he was given a shot.

His injury is certainly a blow, but the good news is that it's not expected to be serious. Nevertheless, Arsenal should call on Cristhian Mosquera against Leeds.

Arsenal should call on Cristhian Mosquera if Ezri Konsa is unavailable

According to Matt Verri, Ezri Konsa is suffering from a dead leg. It is not expected to derail him too much, but before Arsenal make their final decision on whether he should start against Leeds, they've received some good news involving Cristhian Mosquera. The report claims that Mosquera is back on the training pitch and he's nearing his return from injury.

Of course, the Spain international was not involved in the international break, so he could be an option for Arsenal to replace Konsa if it's necessary. Failing that, Piero Hincapie is also back in training.

All in all, the international break hasn't been overly kind to Arsenal. Key players such as Konsa, Kai Havertz and even Christos Tzolis have all been on the receiving end of injury scares, so time will tell if they're available for action again after the break.

While it would be gutting to lose Konsa, Mosquera is more than capable of providing backup. He has covered for William Saliba before, and he was the person Arsenal used to call on before Konsa.

Since Konsa made his full debut, Mosquera has been out of the equation. However, it's not entirely been his fault (or even Konsa's).

After the break, Mikel Arteta has been given plenty of food for thought. Of course, he won't want to tinker the lineup too much if he can avoid it, but at the same time, injuries may have derailed his plans.

Besides, the final game before the break will be living rent-free in Arsenal fans' minds. After all that has happened to Man City in the break, Arsenal have the chance to get back to winning ways and hope that their rivals' season has been derailed. Don't sleep on the importance Mosquera has in that regard.

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