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Arsenal have been left sweating over the fitness of Riccardo Calafiori after reports in Italy emerged claiming the recovering defender is training individually.
Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori reportedly 'ignored' the club's wishes for him to remain in London during the international break, according to the latest reports from Italy.
The 23-year-old has been a key figure for Mikel Arteta's title-chasing side this season, having started all 11 of their Premier League matches so far. The Gunners currently sit top of the table, holding a four-point advantage on their nearest challengers, Manchester City.
Arsenal have managed to reach that position despite navigating a number of injuries throughout their squad. It is therefore understandable that the club were keen to avoid any unnecessary risks ahead of a crucial run of fixtures during the winter period.
Reports in Italy on Wednesday suggested that Calafiori has been training individually and is a doubt to take on Moldova in Thursday evening's World Cup qualifier. The hip issue is not thought to be serious, however, while he could still feature in their meeting with Norway this weekend.
That said, an article from Italian newspaper La Repubblica claims it was Arsenal's preference that Calafiori did not join up with the national team, allowing him to fully recover from his hip injury - and avoid the risk of aggravating the problem.
However, the report goes on to state that Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso and delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon urged players to continue prioritising the national team and their fight for qualification for next summer's World Cup - even if not fully fit.
That stance stems from the fact that the Azzurri have failed to qualify for the last two editions of the tournament and may once again be forced to go through the play-offs. As things stand, they sit second in their qualifying group behind Norway, with only the top side in each group securing automatic qualification.
The article adds that a clear message was sent to Italy players ahead of the international window, that the priority must be reaching the World Cup. That is also why Nicolo Barella joined up with his teammates from day one of the camp, despite being suspended for the clash with Moldova, and why Calafiori reportedly ignored his club's request to sit this international break out.
Arsenal are currently without the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke due to injury, and will not want to add another key name to that list. After the break, Arteta's side face a tricky run of games, including matches against rivals Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
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