Mikel Arteta on Edge as TEN Arsenal Stars Withdraw from International Duty in Pursuit of Elite Treble

MIKEL ARTETA said that this international break was going to make him nervous – but it seems like he has found a way to ease his anxiety.

The boss finds himself wincing when watching his players take to the pitch for their national teams, worrying that they will return to London with injury.

Mikel Arteta has see ten of his Arsenal stars withdraw from international duty with injury issuesCredit: Shutterstock Editorial Piero Hincapie has become the latest Arsenal star on the growing list after leaving the Ecuador squad following medical testsCredit: Getty

But it appears that has led to a high level of precaution from the Arsenal medical staff, with TEN Arsenal players now withdrawing from their national teams or making themselves unavailable for selection.

Piero Hincapie has become the latest to join after withdrawing from the Ecuador squad today following medical tests.

Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Noni Madueke also ended up returning to Arsenal early, when

Madueke was forced off with an injury during England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay and .

The good news for Arsenal is that the 24-year-old’s knock is in the opposite knee to the one he was having issues with earlier in the season.

Rice and Saka both returned to Arsenal for a “medical assessment”, having only joined up with the Three Lions on Friday.

Hincapie and the England trio join Ebere Eze, , , , and Jurrien Timber in pulling out of their international teams.

Of those ten players, six of them started last weekend’s final and appeared to come through the game unscathed.

Noni Madueke was forced off with injury during England’s 1-1 draw against UruguayCredit: Reuters

Diving deeper into the numbers, you can see that eight of those ten players are in Arsenal’s top 11 for minutes played this season.

Gabriel, Saliba, Timber and Rice have all notched over 3,000 minutes in all competitions for the Gunners, while Saka, Trossard, Hincapie and Eze are floating around the 2,500-minute mark.

The stats, and the fact that most of those players seemed to be in good nick prior to the break, could point towards Arteta trying to protect his squad from injury rather than reacting to new knocks.

Arsenal are nine points clear at the top of the Premier League and into the last eight of both the and , so you could see why Arteta is adding an extra layer of precaution.

The Spanish manager has been scorned by injuries during title races of the past, too.

Last season captain Odegaard suffered ligament damage while on international duty with Norway, ruling him out for two months.

And was sidelined for a similar amount of time after a knee injury sustained while playing for Italy.

It’s easy to understand why Arteta may be trying to wrap his players in bubble wrap as they edge closer to finally ending the club’s 22-year wait for a league title; this isn’t new either.

Former Manchester United boss was well known for making his players skip out on their international duties, and Sven-Goran Eriksson once claimed Sir Alex thought England friendlies were a “waste of time.”

Even more recently, admitted to making a “deal” with and Txiki Begiristain to play John Stones for only 60 minutes in a European qualifier.

Arteta claimed before the international break that he has “really good communication” with most of the international coaches that helps all parties come to the “right decisions.”

Of course, Arteta’s side does have some injuries that require treatment.

, while Jurrien Timber wasn’t fit enough to participate in Arsenal’s cup final heartache, but is on Saturday.

Odegaard is also edging closer to a return, having missed a combined 121 days due to injury this season.

The midfielder and could be crucial in filling the gap vacated by Eze.

It’s worth noting that there are also still 12 Arsenal players out on international duty, including regular starters like Martin Zubimendi, , , and .

Arteta will, you would imagine, watch their upcoming international fixtures from behind the sofa, hoping this break doesn’t derail his side’s title procession.

Martin Odegaard has stayed at London Colney to continue his knee rehabCredit: Getty