Arsenal at breaking point as third attacker joins Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard after MRI scan

The Arsenal squad is close to breaking point after yet more injury fears with Gabriel Martinelli update made available

Arsenal could do without any further disruption to their squad before returning to domestic action this weekend. Mikel Arteta has already had to sit back and watch as Bukayo Saka has been taken out of the England side with a hamstring strain.

While both Martin Odegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko have been missing since the September break, Ben White and Jurrien Timber have been missing for the last couple of matches with their own problems. Both Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey also pulled out of international duty before the games began.

One player whose form had risen since the medical emergencies was Gabriel Martinelli. Goals against both Leicester and Southampton had reaffirmed the player’s confidence and that was evident from his overall displays.

However, this form saw him return to his national side for Brazil’s games against Chile and Peru. While he came on as a substitute against Chile in the 2-1 win that saw Gabriel Magalhaes start and earn a man of the match award, it seems the Arsenal winger suffered a problem.

In a statement released by the CBF, it read: “Gabriel Martinelli complained of pain in his right calf and underwent an MRI on Sunday night which showed a small area of muscle edema in the area.

“The player continues to undergo physiotherapy treatment under the care of the Brazilian National Team’s Medical Department.”

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Losing Martinelli would be a serious blow to the club with the current absences they have. In the upcoming clash with Bournemouth, both Raheem Sterling and Leandro Trossard may need to be utilised in wide areas, with Gabriel Jesus yet another option that could also be considered having done so in the past.

There is hope that considering Martinelli has not flown back to Arsenal, as Saka has with England, the issue is only minor and that Arteta will not have to change his plans. Brazil do not play until the middle of the weekday period before seeing their players return late on Thursday allowing very little time for recovery ahead of the Premier League's return.

The Gunners have a very challenging period before the November break, playing at home just twice and having trips to the aforementioned Bournemouth in addition to Preston, Newcastle, Inter Milan and Chelsea. Come through this unscathed and the club’s hopes across three competitions will be looking incredibly healthy despite their squad shortcomings.

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