Several Arsenal players are currently away from the Emirates Stadium on international duty.
Martin Odegaard chose to stay at Arsenal to focus on his fitness, rather than join up with the Norway squad. Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice withdrew from England duty after picking up knocks.
However, several players did still depart North London, and a number of those have seen action. Kai Havertz impressed the German press with his goalscoring performance against Bosnia-Herzegovina, for instance.
This evening, Leandro Trossard was named in the Belgium starting XI for a Nations League fixture against Israel in Budapest.
What happened to Leandro Trossard during Belgium vs Israel?
Unfortunately, Trossard did not get many minutes under his belt before being withdrawn from the field.
With 37 minutes on the clock, the Arsenal man was replaced by Johan Bakayoko, having sustained an injury.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano reported the news on X, stating: “Leandro Trossard has been subbed off through injury with Belgium tonight.”
Arsenal have already endured an injury crisis this season, and Mikel Arteta now looks to have sustained another blow in that regard. However, it is worth stating that it is unknown how serious Trossard’s condition is at the time of writing.
How Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta must respond to Trossard injury news
Trossard has been in poor form for Arsenal lately, but has seen plenty of game time, largely due to having to cover for Odegaard during the captain’s period on the sidelines.
In any case, if the 29-year-old is ruled out for a significant length of time then that will be extremely unwelcome news to Arteta.
The Spanish coach has already had to deal with a depleted squad for much of this campaign so far, and Trossard’s absence would put yet more strain on his ranks.
There will now be pressure on Raheem Sterling to step up in Trossard’s absence, if the Belgian requires a stint on the treatment table. The Chelsea loanee has failed to make an impact since his transfer deadline day arrival at the Emirates Stadium, but he was signed to offer reliable squad depth, and that is exactly what the Gunners need now.
In the meantime, this latest news may impact the Gunners’ January transfer plans. Arsenal have been told to sign an attacker, and the need to so may have just become all the more urgent.
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