Arsenal suffer ANOTHER injury blow as Mikel Arteta confirms Ethan Nwaneri has been ruled out with ‘muscular issue’ – after naming him as ideal replacement for Bukayo Saka

Mikel Arteta has suffered another injury blow, revealing that Ethan Nwaneri was substituted at halftime during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton due to a muscular problem. The 17-year-old winger had opened the scoring in the 16th minute of the game, stepping up to fill the gap left by Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling – who are both out injured.

Nwaneri’s impressive start at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon marked his second consecutive game on the right flank. However, he did not return for the second half.

Initial speculation suggested Arteta substituted the teenager after he picked up a yellow card for time-wasting. But, the Arsenal manager later clarified to BBC Match of the Day that Nwaneri was withdrawn due to an injury concern.

Speaking after the game, the Spaniard said: ‘It’s really bad news because I think we’ve lost him [Nwaneri], we had to take him off at half-time with some muscular issues.’