Arsenal 18yo confirms he has “long-term” injury | OneFootball

Arsenal academy defender Josh Nichols has been on the fringes of the senior squad this season, but he’s now confirmed he’s dealing with a long-term injury.

Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Arsenal youth defender Josh Nichols impressed with Mikel Arteta’s first team in pre-season, and he undoubtedly earned his subsequent chances with the squad for competitive fixtures.

Nichols has made the bench for three Premier League fixtures and one League Cup match now, and he made the starting lineup for his official debut against Bolton Wanderers back in September.

But for the most part, Nichols has played for the Arsenal u21s and u19s, making 13 appearances for the two sides.

Photo via Nichols on Instagram

Nichols was still in the team for the Arsenal u21s’ last game against Sunderland back on December 16th, but he’s since picked up an injury.

There haven’t been many details available about the nature of the problem, and with the academy on their winter break, it was hard to say how Nichols’ recovery was going.

But speaking to Arsenal.com in an article published this week, Nichols revealed that it’s a “long-term injury”, and that his “goals for the rest of the season are to return fully healthy”.

Photo via Nichols on Instagram

That’s certainly bad news for a player making his breakthrough into senior football, especially as he could have secured a loan move this month if he’d been fit.

The 18-year-old looks to be taking the setback in his stride though, and he’ll hopefully return ready to go again in the coming months.