Wednesday night saw some Arsenal youngsters come of age in the Carabao Cup, and that will have delighted manager, Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners romped to a 5-1 win over Bolton, and their reward for the victory was a fourth round tie away at Preston North End.
Young Ethan Nwaneri was one of the heroes for the Gunners, the midfielder bagging a brace, whilst Raheem Sterling added his first for the club since his switch across London from Chelsea.
The joy and elation from what was a wholly positive 90 minutes was tempered by the news that David Raya is injured.
The brilliant Spaniard didn’t play, and with Neto cup-tied, it meant that 16-year-old Jack Porter was thrown in at the deep end by Arteta.
Arteta’s injury crisis deepens
Asked after the game if Raya would be back for the Premier League fixture against Leicester at the weekend, Arteta could only advance (per The Standard); “We don’t know yet, he’s got a muscular injury.”
Though Neto won’t want to let anyone down if he makes his debut against the Foxes, it’s clear that Raya is far and away the club’s No.1 and if he’s out for a significant length of time, it could prove hugely problematic for the Gunners.
It wouldn’t only appear to be Raya that could be missing either.
According to sports journalist, Harry Symeou, writing on X, both Ben White and Jurrien Timber could also be missing, handing Arteta a real headache.
The only possible comfort that the manager could derive from the upcoming fixture is that Leicester are one of six teams yet to win a game in the Premier League so their confidence is likely to be at an extremely low ebb.
The next few days in training are likely to be crucial in terms of understanding just what chances the injured players do have of making the game.
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