Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has left the Italy camp following the freak injury he suffered against France on Friday night.
The 22-year old was substituted during the second half after taking a blow to his ankle with the visitors leading 3-1.
It came in the most unfortunate of circumstances as Ousmane Dembele went tumbling after being challenged by Bastoni, his studs connecting with Calafiori’s leg as he fell.
The defender was clearly in pain after the incident and was quickly brought out of the game.
The first thought was that it was an impact injury as opposed to anything more serious but Arsenal fans will be concerned after seeing that the Italian has been sent back to London to recover.
Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has left the Italy camp after suffering a freak injury
Italy’s manager Luciano Spalletti, had attempted to ease concerns in the wake of the France match.
Spalletti said: ‘We need to assess Riccardo but with our staff, we’ve a good chance to have him back with us for the next game.’
Italy’s next game is this Monday where they will play Israel at the Bozsik Arena in another Nations League game and Calafiori will play no part.
Arsenal’s next game following the international break is the North London derby against arch rivals Tottenham.
Mikel Arteta will already be without his full squad and this injury could be another issue for the Spanish coach to try and overcome.
The Gunners will be without midfield anchor Declan Rice, who misses out through suspension after his sending off last weekend against Brighton following a bizarre incident.
Mikel Merino is also out due to an injury sustained during his first training session.
Calafiori has just made two appearance for Arsenal since joining in the summer – after being introduced as a second-half substitute against Aston Villa and Brighton.
The Gunners will play five matches before September draws to a close as they feature in games from the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup.
