Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has been ruled out of Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid, Mirror reports.
The Italy international suffered a chest injury during the 1-1 London derby draw against Brentford over the weekend.
The 33-year-old sustained the injury late in the game, forcing Mikel Arteta’s side to finish the game with 10 men, having already used all his available substitutes.
Medical scans have confirmed that Jorginho will be out for a few weeks.
He’d sit out the upcoming Champions League contest against Madrid, as well as Premier League fixtures against Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace.
Jorginho’s contract runs out at the end of the season, but he already has an offer from Brazilian side Flamengo on the table.
Arsenal have left the door open for the Italian to return to the Emirates Stadium in a different capacity, but for now, both parties will be focused on ending the season on a high.
Arsenal are hoping Jorginho recovers in time to feature again before the end of the season, with next month’s home game against Bournemouth earmarked as a potential return date.
Arteta has spoken highly of Jorginho’s influence, both on and off the pitch.
His absence will be keenly felt as Arsenal aim to advance to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in over a decade.
Jorginho joins Thomas Partey in the infirmary. The Ghanaian also picked up a knock against Brentford and is being assessed.
Arteta’s squad has already been hit hard by injuries this season. Ben White pulled out before the Brentford game, while both Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes are ruled out with hamstring problems.
Kai Havertz is also recovering from a similar issue and is hoping to return before the campaign ends.
Arsenal are heading to Santiago Bernabeu holding a comfortable 3-0 lead against Madrid, but the reigning champions are refusing to go down without a fight.
The Gunners can’t afford to rest on their laurels and will need all the defensive resilience they can muster to keep Los Blancos out.
