Gabriel Martinelli could yet return for Arsenal before the end of the season, club doctor Gary O'Driscoll has admitted, though the news on Oleksandr Zinchenko is less positive.
Arsenal were without left-back Zinchenko for their defeat to Brighton on Sunday, with Martinelli joining him on the sidelines after 20 minutes. The Brazilian went down under a challenge from Moises Caicedo and was unable to continue, prompting fears his season could be over.
Those worries now appear wide of the mark. Still, after losing at home to the Seagulls and watching their title hopes disintegrate, Mikel Arteta's side might not take too much consolation from the news.
O'Driscoll, head of medical services with the Gunners, was asked about Martinelli by a fan while outside the stadium. "[He's] sore. Terrible foul, disgraceful foul" he said.
"He's a bit sore but he should be okay," the medic said. When asked whether the Brazilian would be back before the end of the season, the response was a positive one.
As for Zinchenko, though, O'Driscoll admitted he was "not sure". "Everyone's fighting to be back for the next game," he added, nodding when asked if that also applied to fellow injury victim William Saliba, who has been missing since the middle of March.
Should Gabriel Martinelli strt Arsenal' next game? Have your say in the comments section
Arsenal were unhappy with Caicedo for the challenge on Martinelli, after which their forward was unable to continue. However, pundit Roy Keane stood by the Ecuadorian for being a "good teammate" after Martinelli had earlier escaped a card for a challenge of his own on Kaoru Mitoma.
“Tough, he was lucky," Keane said of Martinelli's early foul. "Maybe he got the benefit of the doubt because of his personality and the positioning of the player,
“But what a good teammate does is get retaliation back. It’s not a good tackle, certainly looks a sore one and obviously he had to go off. Hopefully that’s not the end of his season because he’s been outstanding.
“Sometimes that’s the game. We played, you have to even things up, unfortunately for him.”
While Arsenal need a miracle to catch Manchester City, they still have a role to play in the Premier League's relegation battle. Their next opponents, Nottingham Forest, are fighting for their lives after taking a point at Chelsea to remain three clear of 18th-placed Leeds.
The Gunners' 81-point tally is already their best return in 15 years. However, after giving up three second-half goals against Brighton, manager Arteta was left frustrated.
"You cannot do what we did in the second half," the 41-year-old said. "If the team is capable of doing that when it comes to the biggest stage there are a lot of things we have to think about and analyse.
