Arsenal have been handed a major injury boost after club doctor Gary O’Driscoll claimed that Gabriel Martinelli will play again this season.
Martinelli was forced off in the first half of yesterday’s crushing 3-0 defeat to Brighton, a match that effectively ended the Gunners’ slim hopes of winning this season’s Premier League title. The Brazilian international was on the receiving end of a bad challenge from Seagulls midfielder Moises Caicedo in the opening exchanges of the match before limping off shortly after.
After the full-time whistle, the 21-year-old was spotted wearing a protective boot as fans feared the worst. But now, club doctor O’Driscoll has allayed worries, admitting that Martinelli’s issue is unlikely to rule him out of his side’s last two games of the season.
READ MORE: Arsenal hit with injury blow as Gabriel Martinelli off vs Brighton
When asked by a supporter how the player was doing, O’Driscoll replied by saying: “Sore. Terrible foul, disgraceful foul. But yeah, he’s a bit sore but he should be okay.”
“Yeah, I think he should be back before the end of the season," he added. The fan then asked about Oleksandr Zinchenko’s current injury status, with the Ukrainian international currently sidelined by an ankle issue.
“Not sure about him," the Gunners doctor replied. “We’ll see.
“Everyone’s fighting to be back for the next game.” Zinchenko picked up the injury during last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle United.
Reports had then indicated he would miss the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign, something Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta refused to get drawn into on Friday. Speaking about injuries to Zinchenko and William Saliba, Arteta said: “We have another session tomorrow before the Brighton game, and we are trying to get players back for that.
“Today we haven’t trained on the pitch, so we’ll know more tomorrow. With William, it’s for sure that he’s not going to be fit for this game and we are doubting whether he will be fit for the next game as well.
“But we want to keep the hope going and make sure that we give ourselves the best chance of having them back.”
“No," the Spaniard added when asked if Zinchenko was confirmed to be out for the rest of the season.
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