Arsenal face double Noni Madueke blow as update on England star's injury emerges

Noni Madueke was forced off after just 38 minutes during England's 1-1 draw against Uruguay and the winger is now a doubt for Arsenal's upcoming fixtures with Mikel Arteta

Noni Madueke is a doubt for Arsenal's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting CP next week after sustaining a knee injury during the international break. The winger is also set to miss his side's FA Cup clash with Southampton this weekend.

Madueke started England's 1-1 draw against Uruguay last Friday but was withdrawn in the 38th minute after hitting the ground following a challenge from Rodrigo Aguirre. The 24-year-old hobbled to the touchline and was substituted by West Ham's Jarrod Bowen before heading straight down the tunnel.

After the match, Madueke walked through the mixed zone wearing a knee brace and appeared in obvious discomfort, sparking concerns that he has a serious problem. While The Athletic report that it's instead a minor issue, he is expected to miss the trip to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday and is a doubt for the first game against Sporting three days later.

The Gunners travel to Lisbon on Tuesday, April 7, before hosting Bournemouth on Saturday, April 11 and welcoming Sporting to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, April 15. With Manchester City to come afterwards, it's set to be a pivotal period for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta is undoubtedly going to be hoping Madueke is back for those fixtures.

Following England's game against Uruguay, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel admitted he was "worried" about Madueke's injury but said in his pre-Japan press conference on Monday that he would be out for "some days".

Madueke is among a number of Arsenal players who have pulled out of international duty over the past 72 hours, with England pair Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka among those returning to London Colney for "medical assessment".

Tuchel said: "They (Saka and Rice) had medical assessments. Just to get the narrative straight: they desperately wanted to play. They wanted desperately to be involved. It made just no sense to take this risk.

"If it had been maybe the last game of the season, we would have kept them and tried everything. But in this moment of the season, it did not make sense. The risk for making it worse was just way too big.

"They were both in discomfort, clearly in discomfort, when we did the medical assessment. So it made absolutely no sense that they stayed. [Noni] pictured better than his feeling, but he'll be out for some days."

Martin Zubimendi, Piero Hincapie, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard, and Jurrien Timber are the others who have withdrawn from their respective international squads this month. Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino complete the 12-man Arsenal injury list, with both ruled out before the two-week break.