Several Arsenal players have pulled out of their international squads due to injuries after the Carabao Cup final.
Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are staying back in London, as is Eberechi Eze after his calf injury.
Riccardo Calafiori joined up with his Italy teammates, but he wasn’t fully fit either when he landed in his home country ahead of their game against Northern Ireland.
However, the Italian has shared a positive update now.
Where do you see Riccardo Calafiori’s best position at Arsenal long-term?
Left-back or central defence?
Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori says he is ‘fine’ amid injury worries
Calafiori has had several injury issues since he joined Arsenal.
The Italian is an incredible footballer when he is fully fit, but fitness issues have cost him a place in the side – Piero Hincapie has become the Gunners’ first-choice left-back.
After the Carabao Cup final disappointment, Calafiori joined up with Gennaro Gattuso’s side to prepare for their crucial World Cup qualifiers.
However, Gattuso claimed that Calafiori arrived with some ‘pain’, which raised concerns among Arsenal fans who have already seen other players pull out with injuries.
Thankfully, there is nothing to worry about.
Calafiori told TuttoSport: “I’m fine, then we’ll see today on the pitch, but I’m fine.”
Speaking further about the demands of the English game, the former Bologna man claimed that he hardly gets to train because of the schedule.
He said: “The biggest difference is in intensity, in training and in matches. In the Premier League, the most important training is the match, especially for a team like ours that always plays twice a week.
“We train very little. I don’t know the statistics, but the impression is that there are few dead moments on the pitch.”
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Piero Hincapie has been excellent but Arsenal need Riccardo Calafiori back in the side
Hincapie has been one of Arsenal’s best players since the turn of 2026.
The Ecuador international is defensively solid, excellent on the ball and is capable of delivering fantastic crosses from the left flank.
However, Hincapie is a very traditional left-back, and he doesn’t offer any unpredictability.
Calafiori, on the other hand, is arguably the most unpredictable player in the Premier League in terms of movement, and he causes every opponent problems.
For that reason, we think Calafiori should be brought back into the side, even if it means Arsenal become slightly weaker defensively on the left side.
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