Lengthy absence incoming? After Arteta provides Granit Xhaka update, expert analysis hints at ligament damage
Concerning word surrounding the wellbeing of Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has emerged online this evening, on the back of his early exit from the North London Derby.
Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham
Xhaka and the rest of Mikel Arteta’s squad turned their attentions back towards matters in the Premier League a short time ago.
After making it three wins from three across all competitions in ousting AFC Wimbledon from the EFL Cup, the Gunners welcomed arch rivals Spurs to the Emirates.
The two sides headed into proceedings amid altogether contrasting spells of form, with Nuno’s visitors fresh off the back of a pair of successive 3-0 league defeats.
Tottenham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo (R) reacts next to Rennes’ French head coach Bruno Genesio during the UEFA Europa Conference League Group G football match between Stade Rennais Football Club (Rennes) and Tottenham at The Roazhon Park Stadium in Rennes, north-western France on September 16, 2021. (Photo by Jean-Francois MONIER / AFP) (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images)
And, when all was said and done in the English capital on Sunday, the action played out true to form.
An explosive 20-minute spell during the first-half, which saw them find the net on no fewer than three occasions, ultimately proved enough to guide Arsenal to all three points.
Emile Smith Rowe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka were the men on target, with Heung-min Son’s late strike for Spurs having, in the end, proved little more than a consolation.
‘Pretty worried’
As outlined above, though, amid an otherwise stellar evening’s work, Arsenal were also dealt an altogether concerning blow on Sunday.
This came on the personnel front, when, ten minutes from time, Granit Xhaka was forced off in evident pain, after being landed on in awkward fashion by Lucas Moura.
Mikel Arteta, speaking during his post-match media duties, was inevitably drawn on the wellbeing of his Swiss midfield star, and went on to explain:
‘Unfortunately he got injury and I’m pretty worried because it doesn’t look very positive at the moment.’
And if the ensuing word on social media tonight is anything to go by, then it appears that the Arsenal boss has good reason to be concerned.
As per Dr. Raipal Brar, a highly-regarded sports injury analyst, the nature of the impact on Xhaka’s knee pointed towards ‘very likely’ ligament damage, with a spell on the sidelines, in turn, looking almost guaranteed:
It’s very likely knee ligament damage; now becomes a matter of which (most likely MCL and/or ACL based on mechanism) and severity
— Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) September 26, 2021
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Liverpool FC | 6 | 11 | 14 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 6 | 11 | 13 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 6 | 10 | 13 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 6 | 8 | 13 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 6 | 5 | 13 |
| 6 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 9 | Brentford FC | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur | 5 | -3 | 9 |
| 11 | Watford FC | 6 | -2 | 7 |
| 12 | Leicester City | 6 | -3 | 7 |
| 13 | Arsenal FC | 5 | -7 | 6 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 5 | -3 | 5 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 5 | -2 | 4 |
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 5 | -3 | 3 |
| 17 | Newcastle United | 6 | -7 | 3 |
| 18 | Leeds United | 6 | -8 | 3 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 6 | -6 | 2 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 6 | -14 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 5 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 5 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 4 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 0 | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ritchie, Matt | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Westwood, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Gudmundsson, Johann | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Duffy, Shane | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Rudiger, Antonio | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Laporte, Aymeric | Manchester City | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 3 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| King, Joshua | Watford FC | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 2 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
