Arsenal new signing Riccardo Calafiori suffered a frightening injury in Italy’s 3-1 win over France in the Nations League. In an eventful night at the Parc des Princes, where the Italians managed to make a strong comeback, a bizarre second-half incident handed a scare to the Gunners fans and Mikel Arteta.
Gli Azzurri’s Alessandro Bastoni and French counterpart Ousmane Dembele were seen tussling for the ball before the former’s tackle led to Dembele falling on Calafiori‘s calf. The former Bologna had nothing to do with the incident in the first place but was on the receiving end of it.
This is one of the reasons I international breaks, players pick unfortunate injuries. Hope Riccardo Calafiori is fine and that injury is not a major one.pic.twitter.com/B0floK3kS9
— Arsenal Throw Backs (@Arsenalthrowbac) September 7, 2024
The 22-year-old was clearly in pain, with his teammates gathered to help him. The defender was taken off in the 71st minute.
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The Gunners were eagerly waiting to hear the manager’s post-match comments on the extent of this injury. However, Italy boss Luciano Spalletti has provided relief by saying that the new summer signing wasn’t seriously hurt and might be fit enough to face Israel on Monday. As quoted by the Daily Mail, he said: “We need to assess Riccardo, but with our staff, we’ve a good chance to have him back with us for the next game.”
Arteta will be delighted to hear this since he would be hoping for his players to return from international duty without a scratch. Arsenal face Tottenham Hotspur in an exciting North London derby on the 15th of September.
It is very important for the team to have the key players on their side in this match. The Gooners are already without Declan Rice; missing another starting XI star could create a mess.
Recently, Norwegian midfielder Martin Ødegaard was on the end of some serious tackles from Kazakhstan defenders. He suffered a knock, but it is seen as a minor one. The club will play six matches in three cup competitions after the international break. Defender Calafiori is a great squad player, and he will get a chance to feature as games come thick and fast.
