Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori suffered an injury on international duty that has cut his time with Italy short.
The defender was hurt in Italy’s 3-1 win over France at the start of the international break as he collided with Ousmane Dembele.
While the severity of the injury is unknown, Calafiori has withdrawn from international duty to return to Arsenal to be assessed by the club’s medical team.
It’s a huge concern for Mikel Arteta, who will not want to be without the versatile left-back at this point in the season.
Riccardo Calafiori returns to Arsenal with injury
The 22-year-old was enjoying his time on the pitch against France before he collided in bizarre circumstances with Dembele.
It appeared that the Frenchman’s boot scraped the calf of Calafiori, who was seen to be in a lot of discomfort following the unintentional challenge.
- READ MORE: What Italy’s media really thought about Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori’s performance vs France
As a result, the Arsenal man was forced to withdraw from international duty after he hobbled off the pitch to the concern of those associated with the Gunners.
It’s now a waiting game for Arteta to learn if he will be without the summer signing for long, with there being a stark reason for added worry when it comes to Calafiori.
Calafiori’s injury record
If there’s one thing that will be troubling Arteta at this time, it’s the defender’s injury record.
Prior to making the switch to Arsenal, Calafiori struggled with numerous absences for both club and country, something that reinforces why his injury is being treated in a precautionary manner.
Between the 2018/19 and 2023/24 campaign, the defender has missed a recorded 151 games at both international and domestic level due to injury, telling of the added concern Arteta may have.
| Season | Games missed (club & country) |
| 2018/19 | 75 |
| 2019/20 | 5 |
| 2020/21 | 33 |
| 2021/22 | 20 |
| 2022/23 | 16 |
| 2023/24 | 2 |
That being said, Calafiori only missed two games over the entirety of last season, relieving some pressure as fans wait to learn the verdict of his latest injury.
What Arteta won’t want is another long-term injury to a key player, as the boss had to navigate through the entirety of last term without Jurrien Timber.
Added to that, Arsenal are at a crucial stage of the season already, with games coming at an abnormal frequency throughout September in the Premier League, Champions League and the Carabao Cup.
Given that Timber has just returned from the recovery of an ACL rupture, it would be preferred that the Dutchman is not overworked, emphasising the need for Calafiori to be available.
Nothing is conclusive yet, giving Arteta some breathing space as the club’s medical team prepare to provide the answers over the Italians fitness.
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