Arsenal will be keeping a close eye on Declan Rice’s back injury to determine if his injury is related to any other part of his body.
Rice complained of back discomfort when he was substituted at halftime during Sunday’s North London derby draw against Tottenham Hotspur.
Initial tests have led Arsenal to believe that Rice will not be out for a long period of time – although the England international’s back pain worsened considerably on Sunday night, which limited his day-to-day mobility.
He will be unavailable for Wednesday’s League Cup tie against Brentford as he recovers from a back spasm problem.
Next, the club’s team doctors are preparing to carry out a closer examination to make sure that his back problem does not reappear in his first season at the club.
Often, back problems can be caused by imbalances or muscle contractions in other parts of the body.
The Gunners have not ruled Rice out of Saturday’s game away to Bournemouth and next week’s Champions League match against Lens. Rice has been suffering from a calf injury this season.
With that in mind, the 24-year-old is hopeful of playing against defending champions Manchester City on Sunday.