Mikel Arteta, the head coach of Arsenal, has expressed concern over a muscular injury sustained by Viktor Gyökeres, as the team assesses the severity of the issue.
The Swedish striker was unable to participate in training on Monday after he had to leave the field due to this injury during Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday.
Arteta confirmed that Gyökeres will certainly miss Tuesday night’s Champions League match against Slavia Prague, but he noted that the extent of the injury remains unclear.
“I am worried because he hasn’t had many muscular issues before, and he had to leave the pitch feeling discomfort,” Arteta mentioned on Monday evening.
“That’s never a good sign, especially for a player who is incredibly explosive. We are doing further investigations to assess the situation, and we will provide updates as soon as we have more information.”
“He’s definitely not available for the match against Slavia. He didn’t train today, and we will need to conduct additional tests and scans in the coming days to determine the severity of the injury.”
When asked how Gyökeres was coping with the situation, Arteta responded: “He was quite disappointed after the match about what he felt, but this is part of football.
“If you expect an uninterrupted upward trajectory, that’s unrealistic. If he has a setback, he’ll need to confront it, and we’ll support him through that.”
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“As you mentioned, he was in excellent form, and he is a key player for us. However, he won’t be available for the game tomorrow. That’s the reality.”
Gyökeres’ absence further depletes Arsenal’s attacking and creative options, with Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Noni Madueke, and Martin Ødegaard also unavailable.
Mikel Merino stepped in for Gyökeres at Burnley and may feature against Slavia Prague on Tuesday as Arsenal aims for its 10th consecutive victory and 8th straight clean sheet.
Martín Zubimendi is suspended, potentially opening the door for Christian Norgaard to start.
Arteta praised Norgaard as “exceptional” and commented: “I believe he was in really good form before his injury.
“It took some time for him to regain his rhythm, which is expected, but now he is getting more minutes and will be available for tomorrow.”