Arsenal have confirmed that midfielder David Luiz went under the knife on Sunday after a knee injury caused him to miss this weekend’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool.
The Gunners were completely annihilated by Jurgen Klopp’s defending champions and lacked ideas at both ends of the field when they fell to an emphatic defeat that left them tenth in the Premier League position.
Manager Mikel Arteta would like to see an immediate response, but he must get it without Luiz as the club confirmed on their official website that the Brazilian has undergone a “small procedure” to deal with his problem.
“The procedure has been a success and David is now at home rehabilitating,” a statement read. “He will be able to return for daily support and recovery with our medical team at the gym in the next few days.”
Luiz is obviously set on a spell on the side, but due to the size of the operation, he is not expected to be out for long and Arsenal hope that the veteran defender will be available in the coming weeks.
Arteta has some damage issues to deal with | Pool / Getty Images
His involvement in both legs of the Europa League quarter-final with Slavia Prague, scheduled for April 8 and 15, seems in real danger, and Luiz could also miss Premier League clashes with Sheffield United, Fulham and Everton if he remains suspended for the rest. of the month.
Luiz fitness is not the only thing Arteta has to deal with. Left-back Kieran Tierney limped away in the Liverpool match with his own knee injury, after which the manager admitted that he was unsure of the degree of difficulty.
“He felt something in his knee,” he said. “He was in pain so it looks like he will be injured but we do not know how long it is.”
Tierney picked up a knee injury | Catherine Ivill / Getty Images
It was the shots’ sixth match back for the team after returning from a knee injury he picked up in January, so Arteta hopes there is no long-term problem that needs to be addressed.
The defeat leaves Arsenal down in tenth place in the Premier League, nine points behind the top four and seven points behind Tottenham in fifth place.
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