View: Is Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori injured after not being spotted in training and on team bus for Bayer Leverkusen clash?
Arsenal take on Bayer Leverkusen this evening at Emirates Stadium in the Emirates Cup, and summer signing Riccardo Calafiori was not seen on the team bus which conveyed the Gunners squad to their home ground.
The Italy international jetted out to the United States to join his new Arsenal teammates on their pre-season tour but was not involved in action, with manager Mikel Arteta insisting he was not going to be rushed into action.
The North London club have returned to England and the rest of the players who could not make the tour because of an extended break have joined them for training.
The Gunners released videos of the returning players and images of the latest training regimes over the weekend, but Calafiori was absent from all of the images and videos that were released.
An Arsenal fan on X (formerly known as Twitter) claimed that the Italian was not on the team bus this afternoon, and while some other players could still arrive later, the information has left some fans worried.
It appears Calafiori has not trained at Sobha Realty Training Centre despite training in the U.S and impressing his teammates.
Not seeing him in the images and videos released by Arsenal has raised suspicions and worries, and hearing that he was not with the squad this afternoon has not helped matters either.
Clarity would be provided during the press conference today, and fans would hope he has not picked up a knock.
Jurrien Timber has reportedly been struggling with a load-bearing injury and is not expected to feature against Leverkusen.
The Dutchman was not on the bus too but could return to action against Lyon on Sunday, and Calafiori could also be available.
Arsenal begin the new Premier League campaign on August 17 against Wolverhampton Wanderers at home, and having the defensive duo in action will be a great way to kick off 2024-25.
