Arsenal are again the most trending name in the football world, even in the international break as around double figures of their players were unavailable for country duties due to injury precautions or real injuries.
The Premier League leaders have seen the likes of Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Martin Zubimendi, and a few others return to the club after previously joining their respective national teams for international friendlies.
These withdrawals have made the club a subject of criticism as many believe the deeds were intentional, and Arsenal is only affording the players enough rest to be fresh for the final lap of the season.
Even though there is an atom of truth in these claims, it does not appeal to the majority of the players, and maybe just a couple of names stayed back at the club for this reason.
The truth behind Arsenal’s withdrawal
Martin Ødegaard, Eberechi Eze, and Jurrien Timber
The inclusion of the trio of Martin Ødegaard, Eberechi Eze, and Jurrien Timber in the list of Arsenal players who withdrew from international duties this month highlight the bias against the club, because they were unavailable for their final match before the break.
By context, the final match was Arsenal’s most important since the Emirates FA Cup final in 2020, and the players who missed the defeat to Manchester City in Wembley were included in the claim.
Martin Ødegaard was never included in Norway’s squad as he had been injured since mid February, while Jurrien Timber also missed the Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Emirates.
Eberechi Eze, who impressed in the win picked up an injury and was thought to be fit for the final, but had to sit it out, and is not expected to return when Arsenal travel to Southampton for the Emirates FA Cup date after the break.
Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapié, and Martín Zubimendi
All of these players featured in their respective countries’ first games and unfortunately, picked up injuries that made it mandatory that they return to their clubs, a decision made by their countries’ medical teams.
Noni Madueke was taken off in the first-half of England’s draw with Uruguay for a suspected concussion following a heavy collision with Rodrigo Aguirre.
It is the same situation with Piero Hincapie, who played over 70 minutes in Ecuador’s draw with Morocco before he was replaced by Pervis Estupinan after picking up a muscle injury.
Martin Zubimendi was a second-half substitute in Spain’s 3-0 win over Serbia, but suffered a minor knee discomfort and had to be withdrawn from the squad. It is imperative to note that the decision to return the trio to Arsenal was made by their country’s medical teams, not Arsenal’s.
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka
The duo of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were given off by Thomas Tuchel for their first game of the international break and joined the rest of the squad on Saturday in preparation for the clash with Japan.
However, after a medical session with the Three Lions physios, it was discovered that the players are at risk of picking up injuries, which is understandable given how many minutes they’ve already accumulated since the start of the season.
“They had a medical assessment, they wanted desperately to play, just to get the narrative straight, they wanted desperately to get involved. The risk for making it worse was clearly too big”, said coach Thomas Tuchel on the withdrawn players from England squad.
Gabriel Magalhaes
Not even Carlo Ancelotti will have complaints about the decision to let Gabriel Magalhaes remain at Arsenal for the international break, given what happened in the previous break, when the defender picked up a serious injury that ruled him out for over a month.
Gabriel, since returning from that injury has barely had a game off, and to have him in the best condition in the crucial months to come, not just for Arsenal but also for Brazil, it is imperative that he have a couple of weeks off.
William Saliba
William Saliba is slowly earning his place in a competitive French national team defence, and to miss out on another chance for an audition is a huge blow, but it can not be helped after he picked up a left ankle injury against Manchester City.
While he managed to complete the full 90 minutes of the Carabao Cup final defeat, the French Football Federation confirmed the next day that Saliba was suffering from recurring pain that required a minimum rest period of 10 days.
Leandro Trossard
Leandro Trossard is another player who appeared in the Carabao Cup final but withdrew from the Belgium squad for the friendly meeting with the United States and Mexico after he was sent home from the national team camp during this March international break to continue rehabilitation under optimal conditions back in London.
He is currently undergoing intensive treatment and a specialized rehabilitation program at Arsenal’s Sobha Realty Training Centre, with his return date not yet known.
Conclusion
From these, it is evident that the mass withdrawal of Arsenal players from international duties is circumstantial and not intentional.
The Gunners face Southampton in the Emirates FA Cup quarter-finals immediately after the international break before traveling to Portugal to face Sporting CP in the same stage of the UEFA Champions League.
April is a decisive month for their season ambitions and Mikel Arteta will hope to have these players available for the run-in, although Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino is out for the remainder of the season.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
