Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Mikel Arteta has been discussing any injuries within his squad ahead of the game against PSV Eindhoven on Thursday evening.
The Gunners head to the Netherlands in the Europa League this week and they’ll be looking for a result to guarantee themselves a place at the top of the group.
Of course though, in order to get a result in Eindhoven the Gunners will have to be at their best, but they will be without one player who has been brilliant in the Europa League so far – Marquinhos.
Indeed, Mikel Arteta says that the teenager wasn’t feeling 100 per cent before the game, stating that he hasn’t even travelled over to the Netherlands for this match.
The Arsenal manager confirmed that Marquinhos won’t be playing in this game.
“We had Marquinhos who wasn’t feeling good today and he hasn’t travelled, but the rest are ok,” Arteta said.
This isn’t necessarily the biggest blow Arsenal will have this season, but it is a huge blow for Marquinhos and his development.
The Brazilian has been one of the breakout stars of the Europa League campaign this season, and a game away at PSV would’ve represented yet another chance for the South American to strut his stuff.
The winger needs games like this to continue to adapt to his new team’s style and impress his manager, but sadly, he’s been robbed of that opportunity this time around.
Luckily though, at the age of just 19, time is very much on Marquinhos’ side and he’ll have plenty of further opportunities to go out and show Arteta and the rest of the Arsenal coaching team what he is capable of.
