Arsenal will be without winger Noni Madueke “for a few weeks” following a knee injury sustained during the 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Sunday.
Since joining from Chelsea, Madueke has made a positive impact at Arsenal, but he was substituted for Bukayo Saka at halftime and underwent scans on Monday.
Mikel Arteta did not detail the extent of Madueke’s injury immediately after the City match, but he later provided an update before Arsenal’s upcoming Carabao Cup match against Port Vale, indicating that the situation is not serious, though Madueke will still be out for a while.
“It seems he will be unavailable for a few weeks,” Arteta mentioned. “We will have to scan him again next week. He felt something at the start of the match, and by halftime, it was too painful.”
When asked if he anticipates the recovery taking weeks rather than months, he replied, “We hope so. We need another scan, but it doesn’t appear to be too severe.”
“He was really upset and disappointed because he was in excellent form. He was building consistency and becoming a significant threat.”
Madueke’s injury compounds the challenges faced by Arsenal, as Kai Havertz is already sidelined with a knee issue sustained during the season opener against Manchester United, which is anticipated to keep him out for “months.” Additionally, captain Martin Odegaard missed the draw against City due to a shoulder injury, but Arteta believes he will recover in “a matter of days.”
Arteta also disclosed that summer acquisition Piero Hincapie has incurred a “minor groin injury,” which should be a “short-term” matter.
“We’ve examined everything,” Arteta remarked when questioned about the spate of early-season injuries plaguing the team.
“The injury to Noni is simply bad luck, an unfortunate event. The same goes for Kai’s situation. Ben White faced something similar, as did Martin, who injured his shoulder twice with the same action on the ground.”
“With Bukayo (Saka), it’s more of a muscular issue, so that’s something we need to monitor closely. We strive to keep injuries at a minimum.”
Saka, who returned from a hamstring injury to take Madueke’s place against City, might start in Sunday’s Premier League matchup against Newcastle United, although the Gunners must be cautious with his condition.
Meanwhile, Madueke is expected to miss Champions League fixtures against Olympiacos and Atletico Madrid, in addition to league clashes with West Ham, Fulham, and Crystal Palace.
Furthermore, he is likely to miss the next England camp after recently impressing under Thomas Tuchel and scoring in the 5-0 victory over Serbia in World Cup qualifying earlier this month.
Image Source: Mikel Arteta @ Instagram
