Riccardo Calafiori has returned to Arsenal after a hip injury ruled him out of Italy’s final World Cup qualifier against Norway on Sunday.
The 23-year-old defender missed Italy’s previous match and, despite head coach Gennaro Gattuso’s initial hopes, he will not be risked.
“We could have made him grit his teeth, but that’s not fair because he’ll have matches every three or four days,” Gattuso said, praising Calafiori’s professionalism.
Arsenal now anxiously await his fitness ahead of the North London Derby against Tottenham next Sunday.
Meanwhile, Italy, sitting second in Group I, needs to beat Norway by a massive nine-goal margin to avoid the World Cup qualifying play-offs.
