Arteta: Balogun currently sidelined with foot injury

The 22-year-old has been unable to make a case that he should stay with the Gunners this season

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta said a foot injury has kept Folarin Balogun out of his club’s past two preseason matches.

Balogun came on in the second half of last week’s MLS All-Star Game, but has now missed subsequent matches against Manchester United and Barcelona as the Gunners completed their preseason tour of the United States.

The U.S. national team forward excelled on loan at Reims last season and his future is very much in the air this summer with several clubs, including Inter and AC Milan, linked with interest in a permanent move.

After Arsenal defeated Barcelona 5-3 on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, Arteta was asked about Balogun in his post-game press conference.

“He was unavailable,” Arteta said. “He has a little foot injury and hasn’t been training with us.”

Asked if he saw Balogun staying with the Gunners this season, Arteta responded: “We will see. First of all, he needs to be fit and play minutes.”

With the U.S. portion of their preseason complete, Arsenal will next play on August 2 when they host Monaco in the Emirates Cup.

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