Arsenal winger Noni Madueke is expected to miss around two months because of a knee injury suffered during the first half of Sunday’s draw with Manchester City.
Since making his Arsenal debut as a substitute against Manchester United in the opening game of the season, City was Madueke’s fifth consecutive start across the Premier League and Champions League. But what Mikel Arteta described as “an issue very early in the match” left the £52 million ($70.3 million) summer signing unable to continue beyond half-time.
Now, Madueke is reported by to have had a scan on Monday that revealed damage pointing towards a two-month absence that could rule him out until late November. The positive aspect of such news is that the 23-year-old avoided a more serious season-ending ACL injury.
Bukayo Saka was the player who replaced Madueke after himself missing recent games against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest with a hamstring issue.
A two-month layoff could see Madueke miss 10 Arsenal games, plus three World Cup qualifiers and a friendly for England, returning after the November international break. The Gunners are due to face Newcastle United at St James’s Park on Sept. 28, and have three Champions League fixtures, including a clash against Atlético Madrid, to contend with, but the schedule is otherwise favourable.
