Mikel Arteta has said Aaron Ramsdale will not be joining up with the England squad for next week’s international friendlies due to the Arsenal goalkeeper nursing an oblique muscle injury.
The 23-year-old was ruled out of the 1-0 win over Aston Villa because of the problem with Bernd Leno handed his first league start since August's 5-0 defeat to Manchester City. Ramsdale is expected to be challenging Jordan Pickford for the Three Lions' No.1 jersey given his performances this season.
He made his senior debut in the 10-0 dismantling of San Marino in November’s World Cup qualifier, but will not yet be picking up a second cap. Speaking in a post-match press conference following the Villa triumph, Arteta revealed Ramsdale had been carrying the injury for most of game against Liverpool on Wednesday.
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He said: "He wasn’t confident in the last 50 or 60 minutes against Liverpool. We scanned him and he had a proper injury and a sore muscle. He wanted to be here but as soon as he realised he couldn’t play he wanted to be here to support Bernd which shows you the kind of character he is."
Ramsdale was seen excitedly celebrating with Leno after full-time on Saturday after the German had pulled off a number of good saves during the win. However, he will be playing it cool for a few weeks after Arteta ruled him out of joining up with Gareth Southgate’s squad.
When asked about his availability for England, the Gunners boss confirmed: "Yes, he won’t be able to play for England." Meanwhile, match-winner Bukayo Saka was taken off after 69 minutes to protect a hip problem he’s been experiencing.
Arteta added: "He was really fatigued as well. After Liverpool he had an issue in his hip and he’s played a lot of minutes and you could tell. We didn’t want to risk him because he has to go with England now so we decided to take him off." However, the Spaniard said Saka "should be fine" to build on his 14 caps for the Three Lions.
