Arsenal suffered their first defeat of pre-season at the hands of bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong on Thursday.
Spurs ran out 1-0 winners at the Kai Tak Stadium, courtesy of a long-range effort from Pape Sarr shortly before half-time.
The Gunners struggled to breach a resilient Spurs backline throughout the 90 minutes, despite dominating the ball for large periods.
However, Mikel Arteta had one positive to take from the night, as Viktor Gyokeres made his Arsenal debut, replacing Kai Havertz in the 77th minute.
Mikel Arteta provides injury update on Leandro Trossard after Arsenal v Tottenham
With Arsenal not posing too significant a threat to Spurs’ backline, Arteta opted to roll the dice with 22 minutes left to play, bringing Martin Zubimendi and Leandro Trossard on for Christian Norgaard and Gabriel Martinelli respectively.
After a few bright touches, Trossard’s cameo off the bench was cut abruptly short after he collided with a Tottenham player just 17 minutes after the substitution.
Forced to come off the pitch, the Belgian made way for Reiss Nelson for the final five minutes.
Arteta has confirmed in the aftermath of the game that Trossard, who cost Arsenal £27 million in the summer of 2023, felt a ‘muscular tweak’.
“He tried to turn and was pushed and felt something,” the Spaniard said.
While the Spurs player involved in this collision likely meant no harm when going in for the challenge, this outcome should serve as a reminder to organisers that bitter rivals shouldn’t face each other in pre-season friendlies.
Borussia Dortmund reportedly want Trossard, and the Gunners will hope this setback doesn’t rule the winger out for some time and subsequently jeopardise a potential transfer.
Mikel Arteta confirms three injured Arsenal stars will be ready for the start of the season
Aside from Trossard, Arsenal have three more players currently nursing injury issues.
Riccardo Calafiori was forced off against Newcastle, while Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhaes are both recovering from surgery.
The latter two haven’t featured at all yet in Arsenal’s pre-season, and while Arteta couldn’t confirm exactly when they will return to action, he was optimistic about their rehabilitation.
“Gabriel, Calafiori and Timber will be [ready for the start of the season],” the manager said.
After a rather disappointing encounter in Hong Kong, this news will delight the Arsenal faithful.
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