The Gunners suffered a blow on Monday as Arsenal confirmed that midfielder Lucas Torreira would miss eight to 10 weeks with a fractured ankle, a timeline that could potentially leave him sidelined for the remainder of the season.
The 24-year-old Uruguayan was injured in the FA Cup match against Portsmouth a week ago in a 14th minute challenge with James Bolton, and was reportedly still on crutches over the weekend for Arsenal’s Premier League game against West Ham.
[ MORE: Manchester derby player ratings | 3 things ]
Torreira has been a mainstay in the Arsenal lineup since forcing his way in around early November. He had recently dropped out of a starting job the last few games, with a substitute role in the previous three league matches, but is still a valuable member of the Arsenal squad. With a game upcoming against Manchester City, Arsenal can ill-afford to lose a player with Torreira’s shielding abilities.
The rest of the Arsenal injury report was positive for the club, with Sead Kolasinac on his way back, targeting the end of the month, while January loan signing Cedric is scheduled to return to full training this week.
Torreira will also be sweating his availability for Uruguay this summer in the 2020 Copa America. He will likely be healed by that point, but match fitness will be in question as he could potentially come into June having not played a competitive match in three months. Uruguay has been drawn into Group A alongside the likes of Argentina, Chile, and guests Australia. Torreira is certainly in the plans for head coach Oscar Tabarez having been in the squad consistently since his debut in 2018, earning 23 caps since then, but in a crowded midfield that includes Rodrigo Betancur, Federico Valverde, Matias Vecino, Nahitan Nandez, they have replacements.
