Arsenal were without William Saliba for their Premier League clash with Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium, leaving fans to sweat over the star centre-back's whereabouts.
Saliba's only absence this season was enforced, thanks to a one-match ban for his red card in 2-0 loss to Bournemouth in October last year.
The Frenchman was expected to start alongside Gabriel for the visit of Villa, who continue to go from strength to strength under the guidance of the former. Arsenal boss, Unai Emery, but it was a surprise omission when the lineups were announced.
“He felt something before the match, something muscular,” confirmed manager Mikel Arteta. “I don't think it's much, but he couldn't train (on Friday). He didn't feel well enough to play, so we have to assess the situation.”
With the limited information provided by Arteta, there will be obvious concern for Saliba ahead of an important run of matches. Arsenal are trying to chase down Liverpool in the Premier League title race – the Reds struck late at Brentford earlier on Saturday to won a big 2-0 win – and there will be Champions League matches against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona.
The Gunners also need to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg with Newcastle.
Saliba joins a number of other first-team regulars on the pitch, adding a further layer for Arteta injury headache. Bukayo Saka will be out for another few weeks – the England winger is recovering from a tear – and Saliba's fellow defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White are also out.
Gabriel Jesus, meanwhile, will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL in recent times. FA Cup third round defeat by Manchester United.