Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Gabriel Martinelli will undergo a scan for a suspected hamstring injury following Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Wednesday.
The Gunners were beaten 2-0 in both legs of their Carabao Cup semi-final, but the loss was compounded by Martinelli’s injury late in the first half, after the winger pulled up and had to leave the pitch.
With Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus already sidelined with long-term injuries, Arsenal can’t afford another key player out for an extended period. The club will now anxiously await the results of the scan on Martinelli’s injury.
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“He felt something, I think it was his hamstring, and he wasn’t comfortable to continue,” Arteta explained after the match. “So we will have to have an MRI scan tomorrow to assess the extent of the injury.”
Arteta had previously expressed frustration over Arsenal’s lack of January signings following injuries to both Saka and Jesus. If Martinelli is ruled out, Arsenal will be left with just Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling, Leandro Trossard, and Ethan Nwaneri as attacking options.
To aid in recovery, the team will head to a warm-weather training camp in Dubai on Thursday, hoping the break will refresh the squad ahead of their next match against Leicester City on February 15.
“We need to swallow this one, it’s a tough one,” Arteta said. “We had a lot of expectations, and we knew how difficult the task would be because of the result we brought from London, but there’s nothing we can do right now. What we can do is look ahead. First, we have to recover because this is going to be painful. While we are in Dubai, we’ll recharge and then go again because we still have a lot to play for.”