Arsenal star leaves international duty early for fitness assessment with Gunners staff

Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has left the Italian national team for an early return to north London after picking up an injury in his country’s win over France.

Calafiori joined Arsenal from Bologna this summer and looks an exciting addition to Mikel Arteta’s side, so it’s not too surprising that they won’t want to take any risks with his fitness after this knock with Italy.

See below as Fabrizio Romano has posted about the defender’s situation on X, formerly Twitter, explaining that the 22-year-old is heading back to the Emirates Stadium a little earlier than expected, just to be on the safe side…

???? Riccardo Calafiori leaves Italy camp as the staff will take no risk after his injury against France.

Calafiori will return to London and he will be assessed by #AFC medical staff. pic.twitter.com/w7rrhs4yrt

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 8, 2024

Calafiori could end up being a hugely important player for Arsenal this season, as he’s very capable at either centre-back or left-back, giving Arteta the depth his side will surely need over the course of a long and challenging campaign.

The Italy international didn’t exactly have the best injury record before joining the Gunners, so this latest blow could be a bit of a concern, even if the early signs are just that everyone is being cautious about it, keen to avoid any risks.

Calafiori injury will bring back bad memories for Arsenal

Arsenal fans will have had memories of last season when Jurrien Timber joined from Ajax but immediately saw his season ended with a very serious injury in his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest.

The Dutchman didn’t play again until a substitute appearance on the final day of the season, and AFC supporters will be desperate to avoid seeing something like that happen again with Calafiori.

Mikel Merino was another new arrival at Arsenal this summer and has also suffered an early injury that will keep him out for a few weeks, though hopefully nowhere near as long as Timber ended up being sidelined for.