Arsenal winger Noni Madueke is expected to miss around two months because of a knee injury suffered during the first half of Sunday’s draw with Manchester City.
Since making his Arsenal debut as a substitute against Manchester United in the opening game of the season, City was Madueke’s fifth consecutive start across the Premier League and Champions League. But what Mikel Arteta described as “an issue very early in the match” left the £52 million ($70.3 million) summer signing unable to continue beyond half-time.
Now, Madueke is reported by The Athletic to have had a scan on Monday that revealed damage pointing towards a two-month absence that could rule him out until late November. The positive aspect of such news is that the 23-year-old avoided a more serious season-ending ACL injury.
Bukayo Saka was the player who replaced Madueke after himself missing recent games against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest with a hamstring issue.
A two-month layoff could see Madueke miss 10 Arsenal games, plus three World Cup qualifiers and a friendly for England, returning after the November international break. The Gunners are due to face Newcastle United at St James’s Park on Sept. 28, and have three Champions League fixtures, including a clash against Atlético Madrid, to contend with, but the schedule is otherwise favourable.
Games Noni Madueke Could Miss With Knee Injury
Martin Ødegaard Provides Injury Update
Martin Ødegaard come off in the first halves against both Leeds United and Forest due to a repeat shoulder problem, before missing out altogether for the City match.
Speaking ahead of that game, the Arsenal captain clarified the exact nature of his ailment. “My shoulder was very sore, but I’ve just been taking it day by day, working hard. It’s the same shoulder I hurt in the Leeds United game, pretty much the same injury, so just really bad luck,” Ødegaard said in his captain’s column in Sunday’s matchday programme.
“The first injury healed well, I was over it, but then the same thing happened again. It had never happened to me in 11 years, but it happens twice in two weeks. It’s a strange one, very unfortunate.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Arsenal Learn Extent of Noni Madueke Injury, Games Winger Will Miss.
