Arsenal dealt another injury blow during damaging international break
- Leandro Trossard was forced off injured in the first half of Belgium's defeat to Israel
- The Arsenal forward went into the game with an existing issue
- Mikel Arteta has fitness concerns looming over several other players
Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard sheepishly ambled off the pitch during Belgium's shock 1-0 defeat to Israel on Sunday night.
The 29-year-old had not clashed with any other player, but was clearly in considerable discomfort when he signalled to the bench through the smoke of the flares that he would not be able to continue after just 36 minutes of action.
Belgium boss Domenico Tedesco revealed Trossard had been experiencing some discomfort before the match after battling through 90 unsuccessful minutes against Italy three days earlier. However, the Arsenal winger insisted he was fit enough to start. It proved to be a miscalculation.
Trossard's limp exit is the latest in a worryingly long list of injury issues to have befallen Mikel Arteta during this month's international hiatus.
Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were among the nine England players who withdrew from Lee Carsley's squad after the pair were forced off in the 1-1 draw to Chelsea a week ago. "It doesn't look good," Arteta ominously warned when reflecting on the duo's fitness at the time.
Martin Odegaard started and finished the underwhelming trip to Stamford Bridge, but pulled out of Norway's squad to avoid a setback in his recovery from an ankle sprain. Arsenal's talismanic skipper sat out a month ahead of his return on the eve of the international break and consulted with Norway's medical staff before making the decision. "I need to listen to my body, complete this rehab process and get my foot back in good shape," Odegaard explained.
While the aforementioned trio could all be back for Saturday's visit from high-flying Nottingham Forest, right-back Ben White may well be out of action for a number of weeks. The England abstainer used the international break to undergo minor surgery on a knee problem.
Trossard had been used as Odegaard's stand-in but struggled to replicate his teammate's remarkable levels of creativity. The Belgian is yet to provide a Premier League assist this season and has lost his place on the left wing to Gabriel Martinelli.
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