Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has admitted he is concerned by their growing injury list after Riccardo Calafiori was forced off during their Champions League 1-0 win over Shakhtar.
The Italian defender started at left-back and produced a solid overall display before he was forced off in the 70th minute with a suspected ankle problem.
The 23-year-old landed awkwardly after being barged out of the way by Eguinaldo and needed to be substituted, with teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly brought on in the second half.
Arteta conceded he didn’t know how serious the injury would be, as the Spaniard now faces an anxious wait to see if he will be fit for their next game.
“Riccy, I don’t know, he felt something and could not continue playing. A bit of a worry,” Arteta told Amazon Prime Sport.
On whether Bukayo Saka would be available against Liverpool on Sunday, he added: “I don’t know, so he wasn’t able to train yet. That’s unlikely.”
It means Calafiori will join Saka, Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber and Kieran Tierney in the physio room as the north London outfit’s injury list worsens. There was some respite as it emerged Ben White, who was substituted at the break, was taken off for tactical reasons and wasn’t injured.
Arsenal played at home just three days after their 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth and the physical toll was telling after another lacklustre display.
An own goal from Dmtry Riznyk gave them a narrow 1-0 victory against their Ukrainian opponents, with David Raya was forced into action late on to hold onto all three points.
Arteta touched on how his side were affected physically by their weekend game and declared himself pleased with the outcome: “Very pleased with the result, a win in the Champions League is always very difficult and important,” he added.
“I think they were two different halves, because the first half we were very dominant, we could’ve scored another two or three goals. We didn’t.
“In the second half we felt a bit of fatigue, playing about 65 minutes with 10 men about three days ago is a bit tough and we would’ve liked a little bit clarity, a bit more purpose with the ball. We left the game a bit more open. But we dug in, we got the result.”
When asked if Leandro Trossard’s penalty miss summed up his side’s sloppiness, Arteta added: “Probably, I don’t know if it was related to fatigue as well but it’s true.
“Credit to Shakhtar too, they are a good team in the condition that they play in, they want to play, they are brave. When you give them time on the ball and lose the ball in the wrong areas, you’re going to suffer.”
