Arsenal suffered yet another defeat in the Premier League, this time losing 2-1 to Brighton and Hove Albion. And if the loss was not enough, their keeper Bernd Leno had to be stretched off the pitch with a knee injury.
Bern Leno landed awkwardly while trying to shield a long-ball from Neal Maupay and as soon as he landed, the keeper clutched his knees and cried in agony.
After some initial treatment, the German had to be taken off the pitch and after the match, many Arsenal fans have blamed Neal Maupay of foul play and deliberately injuring the German keeper.
But speaking after the game, manager Mikel Arteta brushed all such controversies aside claiming that the Brighton man meant no harm and that such injuries are just a part and parcel of the game.
The Arsenal manager said, as per the club’s official website: “We don’t know [the full extent]. He was in a lot of pain but we will have to wait until tomorrow to see how bad the damage is.
“I believe that no player has the intention to hurt anybody and I believe in this case it’s exactly the same, it was unfortunate.
“Bernd’s injury doesn’t look good and we will have to assess him probably tomorrow, but it can happen on a football pitch. It’s a knee injury, I think he had a hyperextension of the knee and we have to assess the damage.”
Bernd Leno has undoubtedly been the best player for Arsenal this season and his injury is a major setback for the Gunners’ top-four hopes.
After the loss, Arsenal are 10th on the league table and last week, Arteta lost Pablo Mari to a major injury and some rumours claim that Bern Leno might have suffered cruciate ligament damage(similar to players like Rob Holding and Callum Chambers).
The official report is yet to come it but if the keeper has indeed suffered ligament damage then he is clearly ruled out of action for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
