BREAKING NEWS: I was shocked this morning when I received the news from our medical department that another defender sustained injury during training session yesterday and He’ll not be available for today’s match, considering the issue on ground now I maybe forced to play Saka in the backline”, Mikel Arteta shows frustration as another key Arsenal defender sustained injury in training yesterday and will not available for Aston Villa match Today
It looks like Arsenal will have to make do without Cristhian Mosquera for a while, with BBC Sport reporting the Spaniard could be out for up to two months.
The summer signing from Valencia has impressed everyone with how quickly he’s adapted to Premier League football, regularly filling in for both William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Unfortunately, with the senior pairing already sidelined for Wednesday’s win over Brentford, Mosquera picked up an ankle issue that Mikel Arteta described as “complicated” in today’s press conference.
Sami Mokbel reports the defender still needs further tests “to establish the full extent” of the injury, although early signs suggest he’ll miss the entire festive period and beyond.
Arteta continues to say Saliba is a “matter of days” from returning, but it’s hard to know how much of that is hope rather than certainty. In the meantime, it looks likely Jurrien Timber will partner Piero Hincapie at centre-back, with Ben White on the right and Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly competing on the left.
Gabriel Magalhaes isn’t expected back until well into January.
All far from ideal, but nothing comes as a surprise these days. Arteta said earlier he’s learned to “take it [bad news] as it comes and enjoy the ride.”
