Granit Xhaka 'aiming to return to training in the next few weeks', say Arsenal in injury update
Friday 19 June 2020 23:19, UK
Pablo Mari is seeing a specialist after suffering a "significant" ankle injury that could rule him out for the season, leaving Arsenal facing a crisis at centre-back.
The Spaniard, on loan from Flamengo, came off injured after 24 minutes in Wednesday's defeat at Manchester City and is expected to be out for weeks, with Sokratis, Calum Chambers and Cedric Soares already missing.
David Luiz is also suspended for three games after being shown a straight red card in a horror show performance, having replaced Mari, leaving Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding as Mikel Arteta's only fit centre-halves for the clash with Brighton.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta will also be without midfielder Granit Xhaka for Saturday's trip after he sprained his ankle at the Etihad, while Lucas Torreira also remains out.
Arsenal confirmed on Friday: "This is a significant injury (to Mari's left ankle) which is currently undergoing further specialist assessment."
Arteta doesn't believe Mari's injury should put the club off completing a permanent deal for the defender at the end of the season.
"This cannot be affected just because a player gets injured doing his job and defending our club," Arteta said.
"It is not looking good with Pablo, it looks like a really nasty injury.
"The doctors were assessing him today and hopefully tomorrow we will have a better update but the first assessment wasn't particularly positive."
The club also said Xhaka, Soares and Torreira would be "aiming to return to training in the next two weeks".
Luiz may not play for Arsenal again, with his contract running out on June 30 and an impasse over a one-year extension option.
Arteta admitted he does "not know" whether Luiz will play again, after the defender blamed himself for the heavy 3-0 defeat to City, which involved him hauling down Riyad Mahrez to give away a penalty and get sent off.
"I don't know [if he has played his last game here]," Arteta said. "He is very open, he is a leader and I was sure he was going to speak in front of everybody. You heard what he said, he was very direct with us too.
"That is what I value from him and that is what I like from him. We need to be fair on him. Me personally, I am going to defend him with everything I have because I believe in him.
"He has shown me a lot of things in his time here and his career speaks for itself."
For the Premier League's resumption, Sky, the UK's leading football broadcaster, will make 25 games available 'free to air' - including Everton vs Liverpool on the first full weekend back - for everyone in the UK to enjoy.
Sky Sports will show 64 live Premier League games during the resumption of the 2019/20 Premier League season. In addition to the 39 matches already scheduled to be broadcast exclusively live on Sky Sports before the coronavirus interruption, 25 more matches will be available on both Sky Sports Premier League and Sky's free-to-air Pick channel, allowing the whole nation to be part of the return of live sport.
