Journalist Charles Watts has warned that injured Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko likely won’t be fit to make a return to the team this weekend.
As things stand, the Gunners are on a fine run of form and consequently sit top of the Premier League having won all but one of their opening nine games so far this term.
In their last league outing, they managed to overcome Liverpool 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium, but have had to do without Zinchenko in the squad. More recently, they won in the Europa League against Bodo/Glimt as the Ukrainian was left at home.
Once more, a calf injury kept the left-back from featuring in that match, and it looks as though he probably won’t be back in the starting team to play against Leeds United on Sunday.
Indeed, while speaking on his YouTube channel, Watts explained that while there was no official statement for the club, he wasn’t expecting the versatile defender to be fit for the match.
He said: “Zinchenko remains very much a doubt with this muscle injury. Probably going to miss out, I imagine, but that’s not confirmed yet.
“But I think, certainly have him down as a big doubt for the game.”
TIF Thoughts on Oleksandr Zinchenko and Arsenal…
Speaking after that midweek win in Europe, manager Mikel Arteta said (via football.london) that the club would have to wait and see how Zinchenko progresses.
In full, he said: “He had another muscle injury, and let’s see how it evolves in the next few days.”
Evidently, the Arsenal boss isn’t entirely sure about the fitness of the player and didn’t want to commit to any more exact details.
In fairness, seeing as the defender did return from an injury earlier in the season, only to pick up this most recent setback, he might not want to rush Zinchenko back into action (via Transfermarkt).
At the very least, Arteta does have Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu available as options in that role should either man be required. Regardless, it looks like this fitness race will go down to the wire.
Is Oleksandr Zinchenko the best left-back at Arsenal?
Yes
No
