Eberechi Eze Injury: Progress, Potential Return Date for Arsenal Star

Mikel Arteta has been cagey about the fitness of his ever-improving attacking midfielder.

Eberechi Eze was a major miss for the Carabao Cup final. | Vince Mignott/DeFodi Images/DeFodi/Getty Images

Mikel Arteta admitted that Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City left “a really bad taste.” The first bitter flavors arrived before the first whistle had even been blown.

To the surprise of many, Eberechi Eze failed to make the matchday squad for the Wembley showpiece, watching on huddled under his hood as Arsenal were condemned to a limp 2–0 defeat. The Gunners created a measly 0.63 xG, more than half of which came from three shots in four seconds during the seventh minute of the match. The No. 10’s creative spark was sorely missed.

Eze has already been ruled out of England’s fixtures for a pair of friendlies in March. While there is still every chance that the ever-improving attacking midfielder will make the World Cup squad, more concerns revolve around his involvement in Arsenal’s crucial run of matches as they chase down three other trophies.

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What Injury Does Eberechi Eze Have?

Eberechi Eze is sidelined with a muscular issue. | Julian Finney-UEFA/UEFA/Getty Images

Arteta confirmed after the cup final that Eze was dealing with a calf issue.

Riding high on the adrenaline of a blistering drive from the edge of the box, Eze insisted that he would quickly bounce back after limping off in the second half of Arsenal’s Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the middle of March. “I’m alright, I’ll be O.K.,” he told TNT Sports postgame.

This is perhaps why player diagnoses immediately after the final whistle should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Arsenal have been littered with a wide variety of injury issues this season. Eze is hardly alone in flagging a muscular complaint, sprinkled between some more serious and freakish problems which no manager can prepare for. Eze’s direct competitor for the attacking midfield slot Martin Ødegaard, for instance, spent the first few weeks of the season repeatedly damaging the same shoulder.

As the legendary Liverpool manager Bob Paisley used to say: “You keep your fingers crossed about injuries. That is in the lap of the gods.”

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When Will Eberechi Eze Return From Injury?

Eberechi Eze was a surprise absentee for the Carabao Cup final. | Vince Mignott/DeFodi Images/DeFodi/Getty Images

This is the biggest unknown. Arteta was in no mood to offer any estimates, curtly informing assembled media in his post-final press conference that Eze had been penciled in for a second scan in the upcoming week. “Wait and see the results,” was the Spanish coach’s message.

The severity of Eze’s calf issue will dictate his recovery timeline, which could range from a matter of weeks to months.

The international break has fallen at a kind time for Eze in this regard, giving him two free weeks before Arsenal return to action with an FA Cup quarterfinal against Southampton on Saturday, April 4. Whether Eze is rushed back for that trip to the Championship outfit remains to be seen, but the big games only ramp up thereafter.

Arsenal travel to Lisbon for the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Sporting CP on Tuesday, April 7 before the return fixture at the Emirates eight days later. In between, there is the complicated matter of a league meeting with Bournemouth before the highly anticipated rematch with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, April 19.

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Eberechi Eze’s Injury History

Eberechi Eze has been healthy for much of his Arsenal career. | Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images

Eze’s debut season in north London has endured and enjoyed its ups and downs, although fitness has not been a factor in these fluctuations. The Carabao Cup final was the first match Eze missed for Arsenal due to injury.

The England international, however, is not impervious to a muscular problem. Three separate hamstring issues hampered Eze during his final two seasons at Crystal Palace after two entirely injury-free campaigns following a serious Achilles tendon complaint in 2021.

The adaptation to the demands of playing for Arsenal has been a challenge of the mind as much as the body. Eze named the biggest difference as “the level of information around games.”

“There’s a lot of detail that goes into how we approach a game and prepare for a game,” the playmaker revealed, “it’s been a lot more than what I’m used to.”

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Season	Distinct Injuries	Games Missed
2025–26	1	1*
2024–25	2	6
2023–24	3	12
2022–23	0	0
2021–22	0	0
2020–21	3	12

* Ongoing. Data via Transfermarkt. Correct as of March 23, 2026.

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