Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori returned prematurely from his meeting with the Italian team, fueling concerns over his participation in the north London derby against Tottenham next weekend. The 23-year-old defender, starter in all Premier League matches this season and a key player in the Gunners’ start to the season, joined Italy despite a hip injury. However, he was not selected for the match won against Moldova (0-2) and was sent back to London for medical examinations. Italian coach Gennaro Gattuso commented: “he tried to be available, but he can’t force things now.”
This situation comes as Mikel Arteta would have preferred Calafiori to stay at Arsenal in order to manage his injury, according to La Repubblica. Despite everything, Gattuso and Gianluigi Buffon, now head of the Italian delegation, have encouraged players to honor their international obligations even if they are not at 100%. Arsenal hope the player will be fully recovered for the derby, as the team faces a long injury list. Arteta also underlined after the last match before the break: “Now we start from scratch with the international break, we get the players back to full fitness, those who are not fit recover, and we go again”.
