Arsenal could now reportedly be without Mohamed Elneny until 2023 at the earliest following news this week that the midfielder’s hamstring injury could keep the Egyptian on the treatment table well into January.
According to Goal, Arsenal could be without the former FC Basel dynamo until the new year after Elneny picked up an injury in the Gunners’ 2-1 win against Fulham, where the midfielder started in place of the already injured Thomas Partey, with Albert Sambi Lokonga now filling in for both players.
Whilst the Ghanian international is set to return to the fray in the coming days for this weekend’s Premier League match against Brentford, Elneny’s absence until 2023 leaves a major void in Arsenal’s squad for the remainder of the year, with the Gunners unlikely to have the depth to last until January.
Although Mikel Arteta has options in midfield such as the aforementioned Lokonga and Granit Xhaka, Elneny’s role as direct cover for Partey is crucial given the 29-year-old’s horrific injury record at Arsenal, with another blow to the former Atletico Madrid star potentially snowballing into another crisis in north London.
Elneny was key to Arsenal’s fifth-place finish last season as the midfielder stepped up to the plate to cover for Partey for the final fixtures of the campaign, with Ian Wright hailing the midfielder as ‘fantastic’ in a 2-1 win against Leeds United.
However, with Elneny now out through injury until 2023 at the earliest, this news is the last thing Arsenal fans wanted to hear, especially with their schedule expected to become very congested following the postponement of last weekend’s Premier League clash against Everton and this Thursday’s European tie against PSV.
Latest Elneny injury news could be catastrophic for Arsenal
Fixture congestion is slowly turning into quite a problem for Arsenal in a season where the calendar is already as tightly packed as it can possibly be, and Elneny potentially being out on the treatment table until 2023 is the last thing the Gunners wanted to hear, with the results potentially catastrophic.
Indeed, the defensive midfield position is arguably one of the most important in Arsenal’s entire system under Arteta, and losing Elneny means another blow to Partey could see the north London’s goal of a top-four finish come crumbling down in spectacular fashion.
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