Reports in Italy suggested that the knee issue was not a serious one, and Arteta confirmed ahead of the trip to Newcastle that the defender was likely to miss a “few weeks”. There has been no firm update on Calafiori’s recovery, but Arsenal will hope to have him available again later this month.

Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber were not spotted in training ahead of Sunday’s Premier League showdown against Liverpool. The Gunners will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s shock defeat at Bournemouth with a morale-boosting win against the current leaders.