Arsenal manager Unai Emery has indicated that Alexandre Lacazette has not suffered a serious injury during the Emirates Cup encounter against former club Lyon on Sunday.
The Frenchman was substituted within 12 minutes of the friendly clash against Les Gones with an ankle problem and there were concerns thereafter after he returned to the bench with a protective boot on his left leg.
However, speaking after the game, Emery highlighted that the striker was only benched as a precaution for a sprained ankle and he will be assessed over the same in the next few days.
“It’s in his ankle. [A sprained ankle. He will probably be assessed over the next few days – but it’s not serious],” he told Arsenal.com.
The Gunners took a first-half lead against Les Gones through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. That was, however, not sufficient to guide the team to victory after Moussa Dembele scored twice for Slyvinho’s side off the bench.
The result meant that the Gunners lost a pre-season game for the first time this summer in normal time and the match presented familiar concerns for the north London giants at the back.
Despite an average defensive record last term, the club have not sought to recruit a centre-back, who can make an immediate impact and it remains to be seen whether they can sort the issue before next month’s transfer deadline.
Arsenal have brought in three players in Gabriel Martinelli, Dani Ceballos and William Saliba this summer. Among those, Saliba, who is a centre-back by trade, has been loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the 2019/20 season.
