Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has explained that he was forced to take off Noni Madueke at half-time of the 1-1 draw with Manchester City due to an unspecified injury problem.
Madueke started the match at the Emirates on the right wing as Bukayo Saka returned from injury to take a place on the bench, with the former Chelsea man impressing at points despite the Gunners conceding early on and toiling in attack.
The hosts went into the break 1-0 down courtesy of Erling Haaland’s superb counter-attacking goal, and Mikel Arteta decided to make changes at the break as his side continued to chase the game.
Saka and new summer signing Eberechi Eze were the players to come on, though some eyebrows were raised as Madueke made way alongside Mikel Merino.
However, Arteta later explained that the decision was due to an injury Madueke was dealing with, explaining that the 23-year-old “had an issue very early in the match and he wasn’t well enough to continue”.
When elaborating on the decision in a conversation with the BBC, the Spaniard added that the decision “was necessary because of an injury”, though he did not specify what exactly the problem was.
The injury means that Madueke joins a fairly long list of Arsenal injuries early into the season, with captain Martin Odegaard and loan defensive signing Piero Hincapie currently on the treatment table alongside longer-term absentees such as Ben White, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
While Arteta will have been happy to see Saka and William Saliba return to the squad this evening, the Gunners will need as much depth as possible even at this early stage, with midweek matches coming up in the Carabao Cup and Champions League alongside their usual Premier League commitments.
The Gunners face League One side Port Vale in the League Cup on Wednesday, 24 September before a difficult trip to Newcastle on Sunday, while they continue their Champions League league phase campaign at home to Olympiacos on 1 October.
