There are big concerns over Noni Madueke’s health.

London — Arsenal’s push for silverware on three fronts has been clouded by a fresh wave of injury anxiety, with winger Noni Madueke emerging as the most worrying case after England’s friendly against Uruguay at Wembley.

Madueke, who started Friday’s encounter, was substituted before the interval following an early collision and was later photographed leaving the stadium in a knee brace, favouring his left leg. The Football Association labelled the issue “a knock,” yet the sight of the 22-year-old limping through the players’ exit has done little to calm nerves among the Emirates hierarchy.

The forward’s setback is the headline concern among a spate of withdrawals that saw five senior players return to north London over the weekend. Midfield linchpin Declan Rice and forward Bukayo Saka were also released by England “for medical assessment,” while Ecuador centre-back Piero Hincapié and Spain’s Martín Zubimendi were sent back without completing their international windows. Hincapié departed without an official diagnosis; Zubimendi, complaining of discomfort in his right knee, was excused by the Spanish federation “to avoid any risk and to protect the player’s health.”

Manager Mikel Arteta, long a critic of the autumn and spring international cycles, reiterated his frustration earlier this month. “It’s a period that I don’t enjoy a lot,” he said, “especially when we have 18, 19 players playing… but it’s part of the calendar and we have to accept that.” Acceptance, however, does not equate to immunity: Arsenal have repeatedly seen pivotal squad members return from national-team duty in distress, a pattern supporters have ruefully dubbed the “FIFA virus.”

Compounding the concern, Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze — also on England duty — is expected to miss the whole of April with a calf problem sustained before the break even began.

Yet the club’s medical staff may take solace in the fact that not every absence stems from a fresh injury. Of the ten Gunners who missed international fixtures, five — Leandro Trossard, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Rice and Saka — were withdrawn from friendlies despite starting last weekend’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City and finishing the match apparently intact. With Arsenal still contesting the Premier League summit, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League, the ability to rotate could prove timely.

Arteta’s side resume competitive action with an FA Cup quarter-final visit to Southampton, offering a potential opportunity to ease returning stars back into contention ahead of a congested run-in that will determine whether this season ends in glory or regret.