Arteta Drops Bombshell: Arsenal Star's Injury "Much Worse Than We Feared"
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta disclosed that Cristhian Mosquera will be absent for "significantly longer" than the club originally anticipated, contributing to a mounting injury predicament that worsened further on Wednesday morning before their Champions League triumph against Club Brugge.
Mosquera has been unavailable due to an ankle problem for the last week, joining the preferred centre-back duo of William Saliba and Gabriel in the medical bay. The original projection suggested the Spanish defender wouldn't face a lengthy absence, but Arteta had to revise those comments.
"Regrettably he'll be unavailable for weeks," the Arsenal manager expressed before his team faced Brugge in Belgium. "Sadly, it's considerably longer than we anticipated, but the player was experiencing discomfort, so he'll be sidelined for weeks."
Arteta couldn't even rely on his usual temporary solution of Jurriën Timber for the European fixture. The adaptable Netherlands international, who has predominantly operated at right-back before covering for Mosquera in recent games, was ruled out after receiving a "severe knock" during Saturday's loss to Aston Villa.
"It was premature" for Timber's comeback, Arteta explained, while Riccardo Calafiori—another fullback who can operate centrally—was only healthy enough to begin among the substitutes. This unfortunate chain of circumstances compelled Arteta to deploy Christian Nørgaard at short notice.
Arteta Finds Silver Lining in Unlikely Star
The ex-Brentford skipper has seen limited action during his initial months in north London. A mix of his own fitness concerns and the excellent form shown by Martín Zubimendi has given the holding midfielder minimal chances in his preferred position, but he caught Arteta's attention with his performance at centre-back on Wednesday.
"It's an extremely encouraging evening and I believe it's quite challenging to secure victory away from home in the Champions League," Arteta expressed enthusiastically following the 3–0 win. "We've achieved this despite numerous absences, particularly in our defensive line and even this morning we lost two more players.
"I admire how the squad responded to that situation, as a unit and individually, for instance what Christian Nørgaard accomplished simply demonstrates how much he elevates all of us through his mentality, his dedication in how he prepares and manages to deliver. So yes, altogether an extremely encouraging night."
Whether Nørgaard will be required to fill in at defence again for Saturday's home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers is uncertain. However, considering Arsenal's present injury situation, there's no assurance he'll stay fit until then.