Greece update gives latest on Arsenal’s Tzolis after injury sub

Arsenal fan concerns were raised on Thursday night as Christos Tzolis appeared to suffer a hamstring injury, coming off after just 18 minutes of Greece’s match against the Netherlands.

Yet the player was shown running off the pitch, rather than walking or limping, and Greece manager Ivan Jovanovic seemed pretty positive about things after the game.

Whilst Jovanovic did confirm that Tzolis has a muscular issue, he suggested that the player didn’t want to come off, and he’s hopeful the problem is a minor one.

“I tell him to come out and he says, ‘I’m not coming out’,” Jovanovic said. “I told him to get out, because I suspected that he wouldn’t have done that if he hadn’t felt something. We don’t know how much damage was done today, but I hoped it was just a twitch, something temporary.

“These aren’t qualifiers, they’re the Nations League, first and foremost I wanted to protect the player.

“When a doctor considers that this thing, as he and Christos understand it, is something that is not for the player to continue playing. Certainly first as a coach I have to take the decision to replace the player, because it was a muscular issue.”

Tzolis is at least expected to miss Greece’s final game of the international break at home to Germany, which gives him just over a week to work on his recovery before Arsenal return to action at home to Leeds United on October 10th.

There was better news on the other side of the pitch in the Netherlands game, with Jurrien Timber playing 78 minutes – his longest appearance since returning from injury. The Arsenal defender was operating at centre-back on this occasion.

With the game ending 2-2, Greece remain top of their Nations League group, with the Netherlands two points behind in second place. Germany are in third, with their win over Serbia putting them within three points of top spot.