Arsenal will sweat on the fitness of defender Cristhian Mosquera ahead of the weekend clash against Aston Villa
At first you wondered if he just needed a breather to reset himself, then it soon became apparent that Cristhian Mosquera actually could not continue.
The Spain U21 international centre-back has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water since joining for an initial £13million fee from Valencia.
He has filled in for William Saliba at Anfield and coped admirably after being thrown in at the deep end by Mikel Arteta and also helped nullify Harry Kane.
Even with Saliba out and Gabriel Magalhaes also sidelined, you couldn’t help but feel Arsenal were in safe hands but the concern is now beginning to creep in ahead of Saturday’s awkward trip to Aston Villa.
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When Arteta offered his assessment of Mosquera’s injury in his post-match press conference, he was all rather vague and intimated that his medical staff were still unclear on exactly what Mosquera had injured.
It looked like an ankle issue but he was also seen holding his knee after jarring his leg in the turf following a jump with Kevin Schade.
Cameras panned to Saliba and Gabriel, who were in a jovial mood behind the Arsenal bench after the Gunners had taken the lead through Mikel Merino.
That’s until Mosquera went to ground and Arteta was informed the ex-Valencia man could not continue.
Saliba was spotted shaking his head in disbelief as three of Arsenal’s four first-choice centre-backs are now on the sidelines.
There is hope the Frenchman will be back to bolster Arsenal’s rank this weekend at Villa Park but even still, his involvement is not yet guaranteed.
Gabriel is still “weeks away” and while Piero Hincapie has slotted into Arsenal’s backline admirably, he can’t do it all alone.
Yes, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White are credible options but you don’t want to go to Villa, fresh off the back of scoring four goals at Brighton, with a makeshift backline and also potentially without Declan Rice.
For that reason, Arsenal will be praying that tests on Mosquera come back clear because he’s proving to be such a valuable signing and asset.
It’s a good job Andrea Berta pulled strings in the transfer market because Arsenal’s squad has already been stretched significantly by injuries this season.
Losing Mosquera for the festive period, or any chunk of December, would be a real blow as the games are coming thick and fast in all competitions.
Arteta is expected to provide a fitness update on Friday afternoon.
