Arsenal’s Fabio Vieira injured again and will miss U21 Euros this summer
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 06: Fabio Vieira of Arsenal in action during the UEFA Europa League group A match between Arsenal FC and FK Bodo/Glimt at Emirates Stadium on October 06, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira has been ruled out of the Under-21 European Championship for Portugal due to injury.
The 23-year-old was set to captain his country in the tournament but has been forced to withdraw. He has been replaced by Benfica’s Diego Moreira, who is out of contract this summer and has been linked with a move to Chelsea.
? Confirmed: Fabio Vieira has withdrawn from the Portugal squad for the upcoming U21 European Championship due to injury.
Vieira had been due to captain his nation at the tournament, which begins later this week.
Wishing you a speedy recovery, Fabio! ?❤️ #afc pic.twitter.com/guftlsQqba
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) June 19, 2023
The Portuguese Football Federation released a statement explaining that Vieira has a medical condition that has not shown the expected progress despite following the recovery plan outlined by the federation’s Health and Performance Unit. Consequently, he will not be able to participate in the competition.
Vieira joined Arsenal from Porto last summer in a £34 million deal but struggled to establish himself as a regular starter under manager Mikel Arteta. He made just three Premier League starts throughout the season, with his last start coming in the 3-3 draw against Southampton.
If Arsenal switches to a diamond formation, they can get Emile Smith-Rowe and Fabio Vieira more involved. pic.twitter.com/UG85dp2Or5
— Tactics Journal (@TacticsJournal) June 18, 2023
Arteta acknowledged that it was a challenging match for Vieira and other players but highlighted that the midfielder had not played enough minutes.
Despite the difficulties, Vieira’s absence from the Under-21 European Championship will allow him to focus on recovering and preparing for the upcoming season with Arsenal.
Many fans are hoping to see the true colours of the Portuguese who the club’s hierarchy appear to have full faith in. But things will start to get difficult, if the former Porto man does not show any signs of improvement. He seems to have been injured for most of his year at Arsenal and maybe that is another reason his game time has been restricted under Arteta.
With Arteta being ruthless with his current squad, it won’t be surprising if the Gunners cash in on him next summer.
