Arsenal sweat on Noni Madueke's fitness as England winger is forced off injured in friendly against Uruguay & leaves Wembley with leg in brace

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Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are facing a nervous wait over the fitness of Noni Madueke after the winger was forced off during the first half of England's international friendly against Uruguay. The former Chelsea man was withdrawn early at Wembley following a heavy collision, leaving the Gunners sweating on his availability for the Premier League run-in.

Heavy collision ends Madueke's night

Madueke is an injury concern after being replaced in the first half of the clash at Wembley on Friday night. The Arsenal winger was involved in a heavy collision with Rodrigo Aguirre on the edge of the Uruguay penalty area as he cut inside from the right and looked to shoot.

Aguirre tracked back and won the ball but his follow through clattered Madueke to the ground and he received treatment from the England medical team. Despite the initial impact, the winger attempted to soldier on before it became clear he could not continue.

England v Uruguay - International Friendly

Suspected concussion for the Arsenal star

Madueke then continued to play for another couple of minutes before dropping to the turf and waving over to the physios asking to be replaced. He was substituted for Jarrod Bowen in the 39th minute and was guided off the pitch, straight down the tunnel, while holding his jaw. The sight of the attacker heading directly to the dressing room will be a major concern for both Thomas Tuchel and Arteta.

The extent of the injury remains unconfirmed, though Madueke was spotted walking through the mixed zone at Wembley wearing a brace on his left leg. While there were initial suspicions of a concussion, this new development suggests a physical impact that could rule the 24-year-old out of Arsenal's next domestic fixture, pending further assessment.

World Cup hopes hit by injury blow

The match against Uruguay and Tuesday’s fixture versus Japan are the last chances for England players to stake their case for a World Cup spot and Madueke’s early departure will be a frustrating inconvenience for the winger. Having established himself as a regular in the Three Lions setup, any period on the sidelines at this stage of the season is far from ideal.

England v Uruguay - International Friendly

Physical encounter at Wembley

Madueke was not the first player to suffer an early exit as Uruguay defender Joaquin Piquerez also picked up a serious ankle issue after an attempted tackle on the Arsenal attacker. Madueke had taken to the ball to the byline before getting tackled with Piquerez who seemingly rolled his ankle and needed to be taken off on a stretcher after five-and-a-half minutes of treatment on the pitch. Jose Maria Gimenez replaced him for the visitors.