Arsenal's teenage sensation Max Dowman has suffered an injury while on England Under-19 duty, prompting his withdrawal from the squad. The 16-year-old was set to feature in a match against Belgium but was forced to pull out on Sunday morning. Dowman's injury occurred just a day before England's 1-0 defeat to Belgium in an international youth tournament. Fortunately, his injury is not considered serious, and there are no major concerns that he will be sidelined for an extended period.
Dowman had been in good form for England, featuring in their previous three matches and scoring once and providing an assist in victories over Ireland, Norway, and the United States. However, he was sent off in the 73rd minute of England's 2-1 win over the US last Friday following a reckless challenge. Despite the red card, Dowman remained eligible to face Belgium, but his injury ruled him out of the encounter.
The setback adds to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's growing injury concerns during the international break. Defender Ezri Konsa has also withdrawn from the England senior squad and returned to Arsenal for further assessment. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis have left the Germany and Greece squads, respectively, after suffering hamstring injuries.
Havertz picked up his injury following a challenge from Quinten Timber during Germany's 1-1 draw with the Netherlands. Tzolis was forced off after just 18 minutes of Greece's 2-2 draw with the same opposition. These injuries have raised concerns about the fitness of Arsenal players ahead of their Premier League clash with Leeds United.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice had earlier opted not to join the England squad as part of what was described as "load management". Arteta will now be hoping his players return fit ahead of the match against Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
There is optimism within the Arsenal camp that Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, and Piero Hincapie could recover from their respective knocks in time to feature against Leeds. The team's medical staff will be working to ensure that the injured players recover quickly and are available for selection.
The injuries have come at a crucial time for Arsenal, who are looking to maintain their momentum in the Premier League. The team will need to be at full strength to take on high-flying Leeds United, who are managed by Daniel Farke. Arteta will be keeping a close eye on the fitness of his players as the team prepares for the match.
Key points
- Max Dowman suffered a contact injury and withdrew from the England Under-19 squad.
- The injury adds to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's growing injury concerns during the international break.
- Several Arsenal players, including Ezri Konsa, Kai Havertz, and Christos Tzolis, have withdrawn from their respective national squads due to injuries.
