Arsenal forward Noni Madueke has broken his silence after sustaining a knee injury in last weekend’s clash with Manchester City. The winger was forced off in the first half and is now expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks, a blow for both club and country.
Turning to faith during his recovery, Madueke shared a Bible passage on Instagram from Philippians 4:6 (NLT), which reads: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
The 23-year-old has made an impressive start to life at Arsenal following his £48.5 million move from Chelsea, a transfer that initially sparked debate given the rivalry between the two clubs. Despite the skepticism, Madueke has quickly become a key figure under Mikel Arteta and has also delivered for England on the international stage.
Arteta confirmed that Arsenal’s medical team will reassess the injury soon. He explained: “He’s going to be out for a few weeks. We don’t really know yet, probably we’re going to have to do a scan next week again. He felt something at the beginning of the match, he tried to carry on and half-time he was too sore, so that’s it.”
When asked about the length of Madueke’s absence, the Spaniard added: “We hope so. As I said, we need to scan him again to see the real extent of the injury, but it doesn’t look too bad.”
In Madueke’s absence, Arsenal still boast attacking depth. Youngster Max Dowman is set to be included for the Carabao Cup tie against Port Vale, while Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and teenage prodigy Ethan Nwaneri are also pushing for minutes.
The Gunners are optimistic that Madueke could return in time for the Sunderland fixture on November 8, with the north London derby against Tottenham on November 23 also circled on the calendar. However, he is almost certain to miss Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures against Newcastle, Olympiacos, and West Ham, as well as the next international window.
Madueke recently boosted his profile by scoring his first England goal in a 5-0 rout of Serbia and is determined to earn a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad next summer. His absence will be felt, but the player’s response shows both resilience and determination to come back stronger.