Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi has avoided a serious injury after undergoing a scan on the ankle problem he picked up following the victory over Leeds United, according to Mikel Arteta
The scan revealed a minor issue, with the Spaniard only expected to miss a matter of days.
Zubimendi was an unused substitute in the comeback win over Leeds last Saturday, the first time he failed to feature for Arsenal since January. Having not played, he took part in a post-match warm-down at the Emirates, where he sustained the injury during a small-sided game.
Piero Hincapié was also hurt in the same session, and both players were ruled out of the Champions League clash with Lille.
The Ecuadorian suffered a more severe injury than his Spanish teammate, with Hincapié now sidelined for a matter of weeks.
Mikel Arteta defended the decision to hold the session in his pre-match press conference, though he admitted he would ask his players to be more careful in future.
He said, ‘What we can do is say, “Guys, they are so competitive, when we do that, please don’t touch each other too much,” to avoid these kind of things.’
The setback comes at a frustrating time for Zubimendi, who has struggled for regular minutes since the latter stages of last season. After making 57 appearances in all competitions in his debut campaign, he lost his place to Myles Lewis-Skelly during the title run-in, starting just one of the final six league games.
His only start this season came in the Carabao Cup third-round win at Ipswich Town, where he recorded an assist.
The 27-year-old joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad in July 2025 in a deal worth around £51million, with the Gunners fending off a late effort from Real Madrid, a year after Zubimendi had turned down Liverpool.
He could return as soon as the weekend as Arsenal travel to Nottingham Forest, giving Arteta another option in midfield.
The Spanish boss explained after Arsenal's victory over Lille that the midfielder was 'much, much better', a boost to the Gunners ahead of a busy period.
Arsenal are well stocked in the midfield department, with Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard and Lewis-Skelly the first-choice trio, whilst Bruno Guimarães has impressed off the bench, scoring the opener at Sunderland last month, and the winner against Leeds on Saturday.
With Lewis-Skelly reverting to full-back following Hincapié's injury, Zubimendi is presented with an opportunity to stake his claim in the middle of the park in the coming weeks.