Shortly after joining Arsenal, Riccardo Calafiori picked up an injury to his calf whilst away with Italy in September.
Calafiori then missed Arsenal’s 1-0 away win in the north London derby, a reserve fixture the defender will be very excited to play in.
Fortunately, after suffering a knock to his knee against Leicester City as well in recent weeks, Calafiori was also able to return very quickly from that injury too, not missing a game.
At 22-years-old, the Italian has already had to overcome a series of injuries at both Roma and Bologna, and he’ll hope his quick recovery at Arsenal is a sign of a more robust future.
That being said, Calafiori was fit and ready to go away with Italy over the break, and the left-sided defender will face both Belgium and Israel before returning to Arsenal.
Riccardo Calafiori told he made a good choice moving to Arsenal
Ahead of being a key man for his country in those two fixtures, Italy manager Luciano Spalletti has actually spoken about Calafiori’s move to Arsenal and the Premier League.
Spaletti began by praising Calafiori’s maturity at his young age, and then went on to list the benefits of his move to Arsenal too.
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Speaking at his press conference via Tuttomercato, Spaletti said: “Calafiori is so good at making sure he is in the right place at the right time.
“His courage helped, he takes on responsibility and has maturity even if he is young, already knew how to play in more advanced roles and is therefore more complete.
“The fact he plays in the Premier League is useful, because having those who know the atmosphere of different leagues can help us know what we’re going into.”
Phil Jones thinks Mikel Arteta is using Riccardo Calafiori wrong
Oddly, after his excellent start to life in north London, former Manchester United defender Phil Jones actually thought that Calafiori had looked a bit awkward thus far.
Jones thought Calafiori was playing out of position, he wasn’t convinced that the Italian suited playing as a full-back.
A puzzling conclusion, especially given that Calafiori has already given the Gunners so much in the role.
But in fairness, Spalletti would seem to concur that playing as a left-sided centre-back is Calafiori’s best role given his constant selection in the position.
An extremely talented and versatile defender, who Arsenal fans still haven’t seen the best of yet.
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