What an injury expert is now saying about the timeline of Riccardo Calafiori’s knee injury at Arsenal

As ever with Riccardo Calafiori in an Arsenal shirt, the Italian was front and centre of the Gunners’ 4-2 win against Leicester City.

Calafiori had the most shots on target for Arsenal, the most duels won and was absolutely everywhere at the Emirates Stadium.

The Italian truly plays with his heart on his sleeve, heading into every tackle and moment full-blooded, the reason why Arsenal fans are already so endeared to him.

Calafiori’s rawness is still an issue in some of his defensive decision-making, but Mikel Arteta eventually believes that his presence on the pitch is worth the risk right now.

That being said, Calafiori reportedly picked up an injury during the closing moments of Arsenal’s win on Saturday, believed to be an issue with his knee.

‘Slight chance’ that Riccardo Calafiori has injured his ACL during Leicester win

If reports are correct, that would be a big blow for Arsenal given Ben White has suffered a groin injury too.

Late on against Leicester, Calafiori landed awkwardly on his left leg after jumping for a header – an issue he tried to shrug off.

Fortunately, an injury expert who often posts on X, and was one of the first to diagnose Rodri’s injury correctly, has now provided an update on what Calafiori’s issue could be.

Sharing a lengthy update – one that was caveated by the lack of good quality footage available from the incident, the expert suggested three possible timelines.

“This type of mechanism brings concern for MCL/meniscus injury. But it can also be as minor as a bone bruise/contusion.

“Reports say Calafiori was visibly sad in the dressing room, let’s hope this isn’t an indication of a serious injury. I use this term EXTREMELY sparingly too, but there is a slight chance of an ACL injury, but extremely unlikely.

“The lack of footage makes this hard to analyse as this was the last play of the game. Let’s hope it’s only minor.

“Recovery time: if MCL: 2-10 weeks. If meniscus: 4-8 weeks. If bone bruise/contusion: less than a week.

“Again, it’s extremely hard to give a judgement at the moment due to the lack of video. And no, he did not injure his knee in the celebrations in Trossard’s winner – that would’ve been more likely his hamstring, if anything.”

Myles Lewis-Skelly ready to step up if Riccardo Calafioir is missing

Everyone of an Arsenal persuasion will be keeping everything crossed that Calafiori is fine and the injury is only minor, especially given the unfortunate injuries the Italian has already suffered in his career.

Of course, even if Calafiori is missing for just a week, there could be an opportunity for Arteta to turn to Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Arsenal fans were so impressed with Lewis-Skelly against Bolton, a remarkable young talent.

Perhaps starting against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday may not be the most opportune moment for the 17-year-old to come in, but he’s certainly equipped to handle the task if needed.