David Ornstein confirms injury blow for Arsenal duo

The Athletic reporter David Ornstein has confirmed that Arsenal duo Pablo Mari and Granit Xhaka have picked up injuries during the club’s recent clash against Manchester City and the former could be ruled out for the rest of the season. The north London side resumed their league action after the coronavirus shutdown with an away trip to the Etihad Stadium and it was one to forget as they were beaten by a comfortable 3-0 score.

Switzerland international Xhaka has been a key performer under the guidance of Mikel Arteta but he was unfortunately injured after just three minutes on the clock. On the other hand, Mari sustained an injury of his own at the halfway mark of the opening half and that definitely affected the club’s gameplan on the night.

Ornstein has now revealed that both players picked up ankle problems during the game, but Mari could be out for a significant amount of time with a serious ligament/tendon injury, he told: “Arsenal have lost Pablo Mari for rest of season with serious ankle ligament/tendon injury suffered in defeat at Man City, may need surgery. Granit Xhaka also picked up an ankle problem, but may return before campaign ends. Rob Holding in contention for Brighton.”
The capital outfit had the chance to close the eight-point gap on fourth-placed Chelsea on Wednesday night but they were unable to make the most of the game in hand. They started the contest in a bright fashion but the momentum shifted in the champions’ favour, shortly after the injury setback for Mari.
The Cityzens scored on either side of half-time due to defensive errors. The second goal came from the penalty spot shortly after Luiz was given his marching orders for a professional foul. Thereafter, the Gunners were second best throughout the game and they eventually conceded a third goal as Phil Foden scored in the second minute of stoppage time.