Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori suffered a calf injury during Italy’s 3-1 win over France raising concerns ahead of the North London derby.
The Gunners’ new signing was forced off due to the knock he suffered in the second half after Ousmane Dembele landed on his calf.
The defender appears to have been incredibly unfortunate having not been involved in the incident which saw Dembele trip and land on his leg.
The Frenchman’s boot scraped down the back of the youngster’s calf whose leg then awkwardly twisted inwards. Calafiori very gingerly limped off the pitch which immediately raised concerns at Arsenal.
Italy and the North London club have now made a key decision about the player which could spell bad news ahead of their clash with Tottenham.
Riccardo Calafiori withdraws from Italy camp
Arsenal and Italy have decided to take no risks with Calafiori’s knock and according to Fabrizio Romano, the defender has been forced to withdraw from the Italy camp and returned to London Colney.
The 22-year-old will be assessed by Arsenal club doctors with the North London derby just around the corner. This move could just be a precaution, but Mikel Arteta will be desperate to avoid any more injuries.
Mikel Merino, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are among the Arsenal players already on the sidelines with Declan Rice suspended for the derby.
How will Arsenal cope without Riccardo Calafiori vs Tottenham?
Jurrien Timber has been playing in the somewhat unorthodox role of left-back whilst Calafiori is given time to settle in at Arsenal.
The Dutch defender is versatile enough to play anywhere across the defence although his preferred position is on the other side at right-back.
But having started the Gunners’ last two Premier League matches at left-back, Timber will no doubt play there again at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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