Mikel Arteta gives Arsenal injury update after 'suspicious' England withdrawals

Mikel Arteta gives Arsenal injury update after 'suspicious' England withdrawalsA total of 11 Arsenal players withdrew from their national teams last week, sparking a wave of criticism towards Mikel Arteta's side ahead of their FA Cup tie against SouthamptonCommentsSportNathan Ridley Senior Sports Reporter14:00, 03 Apr 2026Updated 14:10, 03 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesMikel Arteta has spoken at his press conference(Image: Hayters TV)Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has provided a lengthy injury update after ELEVEN of his players pulled out of international duty. The Gunners have faced unrelenting criticism after a swarm of stars returned to North London early ahead of the run-in.‌Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, for example, only spent one full day at the England camp before it was confirmed that they'd return to Arsenal. Meanwhile, Noni Madueke suffered an injury in the first half of England's 1-1 draw with Uruguay.‌The trio joined Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Tumber, Leandro Trossard, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Piero Hancapie and Martin Zubimendi in withdrawing from their respective countries' squads. Fortunately for Arsenal, Madueke's injury isn't as bad as first feared and he'll only be out for 'days'.‌"It looked really bad and Noni was really worried," Arteta told reporters ahead of Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final away to Southampton. "But no it is nowhere near that injury."FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook pageREAD MORE: Arsenal star Viktor Gyokeres follows Cole Palmer and Kylian Mbappe with business moveOPINIONJohn CrossMikel Arteta faces tough balancing act in hunt for Treble as Arsenal's priority becomes clearArsenal FC