Expert gives verdict on Riccardo Calafiori injury during Arsenal win amid ACL fears

An injury expert has given their verdict on Riccardo Calafiori after he suffered a suspected knee injury in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Gunners made it seven points out of nine in the Champions League group stages with victory at the Emirates Stadium.

But there was a fresh injury worry when Calafiori suffered a knee problem midway through the second half.

He attempted to carry on but was unable to complete the match, and was replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly.

After replays of the incident emerged on social media, Arsenal fans immediately grew concerned that Calafiori had suffered a serious knee injury given the extension after his leg planted into the ground.

Now, football injury analyst Physio Scout has given their verdict on a potential injury diagnosis for the Arsenal left-back.

Despite fears among fans that an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury may have been suffered, the analyst believes that the motion of the knee is more indicative of a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury.

The post adds: "Physio was seen performing a valgus stress test too - which tests the structure of the MCL. Scans are necessary, but let's hope it's only a minor/moderate MCL sprain."

If Calafiori has suffered a Grade 3 MCL injury, he could miss up to 10 weeks.

Riccardo Calafiori went off in the second half for Arsenal with a knee injury.

Non-contact injury here which forces knee into valgus, but more of a slide injury rather than a direction change + pivot action.

This would be more indicative of an MCL injury, rather than an ACL… pic.twitter.com/VhkBbV1kQ9

— Physio Scout | Football Injury Analysis (@physioscout) October 22, 2024

Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta will now be sweating on Calafiori's fitness ahead of this weekend's clash with Liverpool - which the Italian now seems almost certain to miss.

William Saliba is out of the fixture through suspension, while fellow defenders Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu are injured.

Oleksandr Zinchenko is an option at left-back, but he was an unused substitute in the win over Shakhtar having only recently returned from a calf problem that had kept him out since mid-September.