Arsenal are reportedly aiming to have Viktor Gyökeres back from injury in time for the north London derby after the November international break.
The striker was substituted at halftime in the Gunners’ 2–0 victory over Burnley at the weekend and subsequently missed out on the trip to the Czech Republic, where Arsenal are set to clash with Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
Mikel Arteta gave a worrying assessment of Gyökeres’s injury ahead of the European fixture: “I am concerned because he hasn’t had many muscular issues and he had to leave the pitch. He was feeling something and that’s obviously never a good sign.”
Now, report the Swede is set to undergo more testing and will be out until after the November international window. Arsenal are “hoping” Gyökeres will be fit and ready to start against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Nov. 23.
Until Gyökeres returns, Arteta will have to revert to last season’s tactics and deploy natural midfielder Mikel Merino up top against Sparta Prague and likely against Sunderland on Saturday, Nov. 8 as well.
The muscular injury comes at a particularly cruel time for Gyökeres, who was finally starting to find his footing in a red shirt. After only scoring three goals in his first 11 appearances for the Gunners, the 27-year-old has found the back of the net thrice in his last three matches.
