On Tuesday, David Ornstein of The Athletic tweeted out reports that Gabriel Martinelli suffered a knee tweak in practice and is likely to miss the remainder of the season.
It came moments after early reports that Bernd Leno’s injury was not as serious as previously thought. Just when Arsenal fans let themselves celebrate a moment of joy, it was taken away.
It sounds like Martinelli felt some strain and continued to play on it but reported pain after the fact. It should be noted that at this point “season ending” is only a matter of weeks but it certainly is a missed opportunity for Martinelli to get more game time, take a claim to the left wing or striker role he wants, and continue to help Arsenal try to steady the ship and make an FA Cup run.
The word from Arsenal is that it’s a “Left knee. Sustained cartilage injury during training on Sunday. Further assessments and tests to take place in forthcoming days.”
Arsenal did officially announce that Bernd Leno “sustained moderate ligament sprain during Brighton & Hove (a) on Saturday. Aiming to return to full training in four to six weeks.”
It is much better than the previously believed damage that could have seen the start keeper miss up to a full year of time.
The tough times for Arsenal continue in persistent and relentless fashion as the greatest fears of Arsenal fans before the restart come true. Many reported the Bundesliga’s 250% increase in injuries since the restart and Gunners feared this would translate poorly for their side that has suffered a last amount of injuries this year.
The team selection woes continue for Mikel Arteta.
Gunner Thoughts 