Arsenal's New Star Already Facing Injury Scare, Arteta Confirms

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta disclosed that Christian Nørgaard was absent from Sunday's tight win against Manchester United due to an injury, though he downplayed the seriousness of what he called a "minor problem."

The ex-Brentford skipper represents one of six fresh signings brought in by the Gunners during the summer window. Other new additions Viktor Gyökeres and Martín Zubimendi were in the starting lineup against United, while Noni Madueke entered as a substitute from a bench that also featured Cristhian Mosquera and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Nørgaard had been fit for the team's last pre-season friendly the previous week, but wasn't included in the squad that managed to secure three points at Old Trafford.

"He experienced a minor problem that our medical team will handle," Arteta hesitantly disclosed after the match. "He couldn't feature today."

The Danish midfielder now has a full week to regain complete fitness ahead of Arsenal's season opener at home versus Leeds United this Saturday.

Nørgaard wasn't acquired to bolster the club's starting eleven. Rather, the experienced Premier League player was secured for a reasonable £10 million ($13.5 million) to provide cover for Zubimendi in the defensive midfield role. While perhaps not a complete trial by fire, Arsenal's new Spanish midfielder certainly experienced pressure in a challenging Premier League debut.

A harsh blow to the face from Bryan Mbeumo's arm established the physical nature of a tough first appearance. Zubimendi won only half his battles and failed to earn any fouls while being penalized twice himself. There were glimpses of his technical skills with the ball—no teammate exceeded his number of penetrating passes in the opening period—but Martin Ødegaard still found it necessary to retreat deeper to assist his fellow midfielder in building attacks from defense.

This absence of fluidity was apparent in a fragmented performance. Arsenal showed unusual willingness to play direct balls on Sunday. Nearly 17% of all team passes covered at least 30 yards—the club's highest percentage in a Premier League match since facing Manchester City with ten players for 45 minutes almost a year ago.

Arteta maintained that all the club's newcomers performed "very well" before noting: "Some haven't yet reached the peak level they need to achieve, but we'll get there."