Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has withdrawn from international duty with Italy.
The defender joined up with his compatriots for their World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Norway, but trained alone amid complaints of a hip injury.
Calafiori has been Mikel Arteta’s first-choice left-back this term, and he played the full 90 minutes of the 2-2 draw at Sunderland in their most recent Premier League outing.
The hip issue meant that he played no part in the 2-0 win over Moldova, and now he will not feature against Norway either, with the Azzurri looking to end their qualifying campaign with a flourish.
Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso had said previously that he wanted his players to prioritise Italy’s bid to qualify for next year’s tournament, having missed out on the last two in Russia and Qatar.
However, in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Italians’ game with Norway, he admitted that he did not want to push Calafiori to the limits.
"Riccardo joined the national team with a physical problem,” Gattuso said.
“He showed dedication to the shirt and we tried to make him grit his teeth, but we couldn't force it.
"Alessandro Buongiorno, Gianluca Mancini and others are there for that position."
He added: "[Sandro] Tonali also won't be playing in the match, but due to a booking rather than an injury. We are not taking any risks. He'll be at the stadium, just like Calafiori."
Italy take on Norway in their final qualifier at the San Siro tomorrow evening.
The timeframe of how long Calafiori could be sidelined for is still unknown, with the defender set to be assessed by Arsenal’s medical staff.
The Gunners face Tottenham in their first game back after the international break, before two huge games against Bayern Munich and Chelsea to round off December.
