Arsenal given Ezri Konsa injury update after England injury blow
England have given an update on Arsenal defender Ezri Konsa. (Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
England boss Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Arsenal star Ezri Konsa is available after recovering from a minor injury. The centre-back started against Spain, but did not feature last time out against Czechia.
The 28-year-old enjoyed a full month of rest on the back of the World Cup before signing for the Gunners. However, his workload has increased drastically since his return to the pitch.
Konsa played regularly of late for Arsenal in the absence of William Saliba since making his debut from the bench in the 1-0 win at Aston Villa. Concerns have since being raised during the current international break that he could face a spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury in the aftermath of last Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Spain.
But Tuchel has confirmed that the defender is okay. The Englishman is now in line to start against Croatia on Saturday after taking part in the group training session at the home of Croatian club HNK Rijeka on Friday.
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He said: "It seems that Ezri Konsa is back. He did the full training today and this is of course a lot of hope for tomorrow, because he is a key player for us."
Konsa's return will come as a relief to Arsenal, too, with the Gunners no doubt hoping he is available for their first match after the international break. Mikel Arteta's side will host Leeds United in the lunchtime kick-off on October 10.
Ezri Konsa has been a regular for Arsenal so far this season. (Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Konsa has not been the only injury concern to emerge from the international break for Arteta. Club captain Martin Odegaard suffered a knock on the ankle during Norway’s defeat against Portugal on Sunday.
The midfielder was unhappy with the tackle on him by former Manchester City man Bernardo Silva.
"It doesn't belong on a football field," he told Norwegian outlet TV2 after the game. "It's a shame that people do that."
Giving an update on the injury, he said: "I got a knock on my ankle there, so it probably won't be good tonight."
In another injury worry, midfielder Declan Rice pulled out of the England squad for the current international break. As reported by football.london , his withdrawal is due to concerns over load management.
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