Arsenal injury news: Fresh injury blow for Mikel Arteta as £34m-valued forward suffers suspected muscle injury on international duty

Arsenal have been handed another frustrating injury scare during the international break after Christos Tzolis was forced off early while playing for Greece.

The 23-year-old winger started Thursday evening's Nations League clash with the Netherlands in Thessaloniki, but his involvement in the 2-2 draw was cut short.

Tzolis thought he had put Ivan Jovanovic's side ahead with a low strike after getting the better of Arsenal colleague Jurrien Timber, only for the effort to be ruled out for Vangelis Pavlidis’s offside.

The Greek forward then went down clutching the back of his leg and, after lengthy treatment on the pitch, was replaced by Giorgos Masouras in the 18th minute.

Arsenal await Tzolis hamstring assessment

According to The Standard, the Gunners now face an anxious wait to discover the full severity of the apparent hamstring problem ahead of their return to domestic action against Leeds United next weekend.

Losing the talented wide player would represent a significant blow for Mikel Arteta given his highly impressive start to life in the English capital.

Tzolis has rapidly established himself as a key figure since completing a £34m transfer from Club Brugge in July by providing four assists across his opening eight appearances.

The wide attacker has also started all five of their Premier League fixtures so far this term, and his potential absence will heavily disrupt their attacking rhythm.

Tzolis injury: Arteta faces mounting injury crisis

This latest physical setback merely adds to an escalating injury crisis currently plaguing the North London outfit.

Declan Rice and Ben White were both forced to withdraw from the recent England squad while Kai Havertz returned early from Germany duty after sustaining his own hamstring issue.

Defensive duo Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie are also nursing respective knocks, and William Saliba remains sidelined with a troublesome back complaint until November.

However, Arteta did receive one piece of positive news on Thursday night when club captain Martin Odegaard was passed fit to start for Norway against Wales following a recent ankle scare before featuring for 90 minutes in the 2-1 loss in Cardiff.

Tzolis injury: Who could replace Greek forward in Arteta XI?

While Tzolis's possible injury setback could rule him out for weeks or months, depending on its severity, the Gunners are ostensibly well stocked in that area of the pitch.

Even though there are reservations about Eberechi Eze's application off the ball, the former Crystal Palace talisman is the undeniable first-choice replacement for that left-wing berth.

Noni Madueke could also be deployed in that position, even though he prefers featuring on the right flank, typically occupied by Bukayo Saka.

Saka is also adept at playing as a chalk-on-your-boots left winger, having been utilised in that position earlier in his first-team career in North London.