Medical insider: Mohamed Elneny may be out for the year after Arsenal latest
It is likely that Mohamed Elneny will be out of action for Arsenal until after the mid-season World Cup break.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis.
Elneny, 30, has not featured since his first appearance of the season in the 2-1 win over Fulham on 27 August.
It has since been revealed that the Egyptian midfielder, who is out of contract at the end of 2022-23, has suffered a high-grade hamstring injury.
As quoted by club media when asked about Elneny’s setback last Friday (2 September), Mikel Arteta explained: “We are probably talking months.”
The Premier League will pause for the Qatar World Cup in November before resuming on Boxing Day.
Dinnery forecasts that Elneny will not return before the second half of the season.
“I will be very, very surprised if we see Elneny before that winter break,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“Typically, with a high-end hamstring injury, it’s at least two months, probably closer to three, and you can’t rule out it extending beyond that. We have had instances where that has happened.
“The winter break comes around November, so it makes sense to hold him back until those December fixtures just to give him the best chance. You have to be careful given the really high recurrence rates with this type of injury.
“They will also consider how Arsenal’s other players are performing. Partey will be back, Xhaka is in there, Fabio Vieira and Lokonga can slot in there too, as can Zinchenko.
“So, the need to push Elneny isn’t massive. That can ease the pressure to throw him back in.“
In other news, Arsenal star hailed “dynamite” by Kevin Campbell after Kylian Mbappe reveal.