Riccardo Calafiori injury statement issued as Arsenal star immediately leaves Italy camp

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Arsenal have been handed another injury setback, with Riccardo Calafiori forced to cut short his international duty and return to north London early. Reports from Italy confirmed the defender departed the Italy camp on Saturday, missing his nation's 2026 World Cup qualifier against Norway on Sunday evening.

He will now return to London, where he will be assessed by Arsenal doctors. Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso had said: "He tried to be available but he can't force now," regarding Calafiori's situation.

It's believed Arsenal medical staff have been notified of Calafiori's return to the capital, with the club not anticipating any serious complications, reports Football London .

This development comes after the 23-year-old reportedly 'disregarded' Arsenal's wishes for him to remain in London during the international window, according to Italian reports.

The full back has proved integral to Mikel Arteta's league-leading squad this season, featuring from the start in all 11 of the Gunners' Premier League matches so far.

With Arsenal already managing multiple injury concerns whilst maintaining their four-point advantage over second-placed Manchester City , the club will understandably be keen to prevent any additional problems ahead of a demanding fixture list.

Italian reports on Wednesday hinted that Calafiori had been training solo, before he was completely absent from the match against Moldova the next evening.

Although it's believed he has a hip injury, it's not thought to be too serious.

La Repubblica also reported that Arsenal would have preferred Calafiori to skip international duty to recover from his hip injury, so as not to worsen the problem.

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However, the report also claimed that Gattuso and delegation chief, Gianluigi Buffon, encouraged players to prioritise the national team in their quest for qualification for next summer's World Cup in North America.

This comes as Arsenal are hoping to welcome back several first-team players when they return to Premier League action on Sunday, November 23 to face arch-rivals Tottenham .

Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz have made significant strides in their recovery from respective knee injuries. While it was suggested that both could have featured during Arsenal U21s' clash with Cardiff City on Tuesday night, neither man was present for the 3-1 Football League Trophy defeat.

In other news, Norway boss Stale Solbakken believes Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is still "some distance away" from his own return. Gabriel Jesus is also set to make a comeback ahead of the new year, following ACL surgery in late January.