Photo IMAGO
Arsenal may have a familiar problem on their hands, an attacker picking up a muscle injury on international duty and returning with a cloud over his availability. According to Standard Sport, Christos Tzolis is facing up to three weeks out after the hamstring issue he suffered while playing for Greece.
The 24-year-old, signed from Club Brugge in the summer, lasted fewer than 20 minutes in Greece’s Nations League draw with the Netherlands before pulling up with what was described as a right hamstring problem. That alone is concerning. What followed made it more striking. Tzolis apparently wanted to carry on.
Greece manager Ivan Jovanovic gave a colourful account of the exchange. He said: “How do I handle it? You tell me? I’m his coach, I tell him to go out and he says ‘I’m not going out’.” He then added: “I told him to get out, because I suspected that he wouldn’t have done that if he hadn’t felt something. We don’t know how big the damage is today, but I hoped it was just a twitch, something temporary.”
That is admirable commitment, and also exactly the sort of thing clubs hate hearing in October. International football has prestige, players want to represent their country, and managers at club level are left hoping the damage is limited. Arsenal are now waiting for scan results after Tzolis underwent tests in Greece on Friday.
Photo: IMAGO
Christos Tzolis Injury Timeline Looks Awkward for Arsenal
The early indication, again via Standard Sport, is that Tzolis could be sidelined for around 20 days. Three weeks is not a disaster in isolation, but timing matters. Arsenal are about to enter a dense run of fixtures across the Premier League, Champions League and domestic commitments. Remove one attacker from the rotation and the margin for error narrows quickly.
If the current estimate proves accurate, Tzolis is set to miss Leeds at home on October 10, Lille at the Emirates on October 13 and Nottingham…
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