Arsenal handed Eberechi Eze injury scare before Man City EFL Cup final as Max Dowman question answered

Arsenal have been dealt a fresh Eberechi Eze injury scare ahead of Sunday's EFL Cup final with Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.

With captain Martin Odegaard still recovering from a knee problem, Eze was given the nod in the number 10 role for the visit of Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of the Champions League last-16 clash.

The former Crystal Palace playmaker scored his first goal in the competition in exceptional style, breaking the deadlock with a magnificent half-volley midway through the first half.

Eze's strike preceded a sweet second from Declan Rice in the second half, putting Arsenal firmly on course for a quarter-final showdown with Sporting Lisbon in Europe's premier tournament.

The England international was not content with just the one goal on the evening and nearly bagged a second following a brilliant solo run, but his shot was blocked.

Arsenal's Eberechi Eze comes off injured vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Eze appeared to injure himself in the process of letting fly, though, as he quickly dropped to the turf and signalled to the bench, having seemingly injured his ankle.

At the time, Mikel Arteta was already readying three changes, but Eze was not one of them; instead, Martin Zubimendi, Ben White and Leandro Trossard came off for Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Martinelli.

However, during the same break in play, Arteta decided to haul Eze off for Kai Havertz, taking no risks with the Englishman ahead of this weekend's trip to Wembley.

Eze did not appear to be seriously injured, and there is seemingly a strong chance that he will be fine for the EFL Cup final, but he has emerged as a slight concern nonetheless.

Arteta may be asked for an update on Eze in his post-match press conference, but the playmaker's possible absence this weekend could open the door for 16-year-old Max Dowman.

How Arsenal can replace Eberechi Eze for Man City EFL Cup final

Eze's knock means that Arsenal could be without both of their number 10s at Wembley, as there is still no timeframe on Odegaard's return from his latest knee flare-up.

Arteta is not short of competent alternatives to the pair, though, including Havertz, who could operate just behind Viktor Gyokeres against Pep Guardiola's men.

Alternatively, Arteta could try out the Bukayo Saka number 10 experiment once again, thus freeing up a spot on the right wing for either Dowman or Noni Madueke.

The former has no doubt shown that he is ready to start important games for Arsenal, but if Eze and Odegaard do indeed both miss out, Havertz is the safest option.