Greece manager reveals what Christos Tzolis said to him after going down injured

The news about Christos Tzolis’ injury has alarmed the Arsenal fanbase.

The Gunners have already received some bad news during this international break, when Kai Havertz suffered a hamstring injury while in action for Germany. That is a massive blow.

Now, Tzolis limped off the pitch in Greece’s Nations League clash against the Netherlands due to what looked like a hamstring issue of his own. There have been some suggestions that he could be out for a few weeks.

However, Greece manager Ivan Jovanovic’s comments suggest it may not be that serious after all.

Greece manager says Christos Tzolis wanted to continue playing

Hamstring injuries are always worrying, and Arsenal fans have learned this the hard way in recent years.

Both Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz have spent long spells on the sidelines due to hamstring issues, and the latter is currently dealing with one as well.

The last thing Mikel Arteta would’ve wanted was for another one of his players to suffer the same issue, but Tzolis pulled up holding the back of his thigh on Thursday night.

Arsenal fans are all really worried as a result, but Greece boss Jovanovic’s comments hint that Tzolis’ substitution must be precautionary.

He said, as per Dimitris Manakos on X: “How am I supposed to handle it? I’m his coach, I tell him to come off, and he tells me: ‘I’m not coming off.’ What am I supposed to do?

“I think this is something that characterises the Greek player and all these boys who come to play for the national team, regardless of age. I told him to come off because I suspected that he wouldn’t do that unless he had felt something.”

The fact that Tzolis wanted to continue despite hurting himself definitely suggests that he isn’t suffering from a serious issue. That being said, Jovanovic was absolutely right to take him off.

A scan has been scheduled to take place on Friday, and Manakos revealed in another tweet that Tzolis is expected to return to Arsenal so that Arteta’s medical staff can assess him more closely.

It remains to be seen what the outcome of those tests will be.