Oleksandr Zinchenko missed Arsenal's win over Fulham through injury, thus making him a doubt for next week's Premier League clashes against Aston Villa and Manchester United.
Although, there were enough positive indicators before and after the 2-1 victory against the Cottagers to suggest the £32m summer signing from Manchester City will soon be available for selection once again, which will serve as a massive boost to Gunners manager Mikel Arteta.
Firstly, an explanation for Zinchenko's absence as per Arsenal's official website was as follows: "The Ukrainian suffered a slight sprain to his left knee in training on Friday and has been left out as a precaution, while [Thomas] Partey suffered a tight right thigh in the same session, and both players are continuing to be assessed."
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The fact that the 25-year-old was left out against Fulham as a "precaution" is a one-word verdict that should allow supporters to breathe a huge sigh of relief. The Gunners' medical staff avoided taking risks with Zinchenko to ensure he didn't damage his left knee further.
Interestingly, the Ukraine international was in attendance at the Emirates Stadium for the game, and on Sunday morning, he uploaded two images to Instagram of him celebrating Gabriel Magalhaes' late winner as the hosts came from behind to maintain their 100 per cent start to the new Premier League season.
In the second image, Zinchenko's left knee can be seen in a bandage, but he made no reference to the injury that kept him out of the starting line-up, and that could be great news regarding his fitness: "Until the end! Well done boys," he wrote. "How did you sleep, Gunners? @arsenal."
Furthermore, the fact that Zinchenko also found himself on the sidelines getting involved with the celebrations might just be another sign that his injury isn't too serious. As per @afcstuff on Twitter, there is video footage of him arguing with the fourth official and walking without too much of a limp.
Of course, Arteta will provide an update on the versatile midfielder in the coming days, and even if a return against Aston Villa is ruled out, Kieran Tierney - despite not having his best outing against Fulham - is the ideal replacement as he can fill it at left-back once again.
But it could be that next weekend's trip to Old Trafford is seen as a more realistic return date for Zinchenko. He would have had enough time to participate in full training sessions and prove his fitness to give Arteta a selection dilemma at left-back against Man United.
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