A football injury expert has indicated that Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori could be out of action for up to 10 weeks, depending on its severity, after being substituted in the 72nd minute of their Champions League outing against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Mikel Arteta and his men managed to secure a 1-0 victory, thanks to a 29th-minute own goal, over the Ukrainian top flight outfit in Europe’s top table, making it seven points from nine in their opening trio of fixtures.
But fresh concerns over the extent of Calafiori’s injury somewhat cast a dark cloud over their all-important triumph on home turf, one that sees them reside in fourth spot – behind the likes of Aston Villa, Monaco and Sporting CP – in the new-look group stage table. Watch the injury below:
Expert Injury Analysis on Calafiori Emerges
Italian replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly in the second half
Giving Calafiori his credit, he did attempt to carry on but was unable to see out the rest of the occasion under the Emirates Stadium lights, thus being replaced by youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly with 18 minutes of regulation time left to play.
Physio Scout, who correctly predicted Rodri’s injury in September, revealed all on X (formerly Twitter) in the wake of the Gunners’ victory. They suggested that Calafiori’s injury is more indicative of an MCL – rather than a more serious ACL – problem as it was not caused by a sharp change of direction.
“Non-contact injury here which forces knee into valgus, but more a slide injury rather than a change of direction + pivot action.”
Arsenal’s on-pitch physio was also, according to the injury expert, seen performing a valgus test, which is set to determine the structure of the MCL: “Physio was seen performing a valgus stress test too – which tests the structure of the MCL. Scans are necessary, but let’s hope it’s only a minor/moderate MCL sprain.”
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In terms of recovery time, it is entirely dependent on the severity of the injury, which will be unearthed by impending scans on his knee. It could range from 1-2 weeks if it’s a Grade 1 injury or up to 10 weeks if it’s a Grade 3.
“Potential Recovery Times:
Given that he at least attempted to finish the Champions League encounter, that was a welcome sight for fans of the north London-based outfit, especially with a nailbiting clash with Liverpool on the horizon.
