Arsenal man ruled out with manager frustrated by ‘unfortunate’ injury blow

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Nuno Tavares has picked up an ‘unfortunate’ injury with Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo disappointed to lose the Arsenal loanee ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa. 

The Gunners-owned full-back certainly couldn’t have timed his absence much worse.

Nuno Tavares had been enjoying his best run of form as a Nottingham Forest player, after all. The Lisbon-born 24-year-old had started four of the last five Premier League matches, only missing the narrow 2-1 defeat to parent club Arsenal. 

Arsenal loanee injured at Nottingham Forest

Tavares would likely have got the nod for the trip to Champions League-chasing Aston Villa too, only to be ruled out on the day of the game by a frustrated Nuno Espirito Santo. 

“Nuno Tavares is injured,” the former Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur coach tells BBC Sport. “So we had to make a decision.  

“He was playing good and it is unfortunate that the injury came at a good moment for him and team.”

Nuno opted to draft in the left-footed centre-half Moussa Niakhate at full-back at Villa Park, with Felipe and the extremely highly-rated Murillo keeping their place in the middle after last week’s impressive 2-0 triumph over West Ham. 

‘On fire’

“I think they were very strong down the left side with Nuno Tavares and Callum Hudson-Odoi. They were on fire today,” former Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given told Match of the Day after a much-needed three points for Nuno’s relegation-threatened side.  

“(Vladimir) Coufal and (Jarrod) Bowen couldn’t deal with these guys. They were super fast on the left side.

“Tavares is a really offensive full-back. And he’s got this partnership going with Hudson-Odoi, who looks like he’s really enjoying his football at the moment. Nuno Espirito Santo deserves credit as well.  

“He’s telling his players to commit bodies forward.”

Arsenal signed Tavares from Benfica for around £8 million back in 2021. He hasn’t featured for The Gunners in two years, however, spending last season on loan at Marseille before moving to the City Ground. 

Mikel Arteta’s title-chasers take on Newcastle United at 8pm tonight.