Arsenal defender training alone as England confirm injury update

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England have confirmed that Arsenal defender Ezri Konsa is working away from the main group ahead of Tuesday night's Nations League trip to Czechia, adding another fitness concern for Mikel Arteta to monitor during the international break.

Konsa played the full 90 minutes of England's 3-2 defeat to world champions Spain on Saturday. Thomas Tuchel's squad trained at Tottenham Hotspur's training ground on Monday morning before departing for Prague in the afternoon, and the centre-back was not part of the group session.

Posting on their official X account, England said: "Ezri Konsa and Nico O'Reilly are following their own individual programmes at Tottenham Hotspur's training ground this morning. All other 22 players are involved in group training ahead of the squad departing for Prague this afternoon."

A regular in Arteta's backline

The situation is one Arteta will be watching closely. Konsa, who joined from Aston Villa in the summer, has quickly become a fixture in the Arsenal defence and has started the last four matches in all competitions alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.

With the Brazilian's partner in the middle of the back four now a doubt for England's final fixture of the window, any absence beyond Tuesday would be felt at club level.

Odegaard and Rice add to the picture

Konsa is not the only Arsenal player to emerge from this break with a question mark. Club captain Martin Odegaard took a knock to his ankle during Norway's defeat to Portugal on Sunday following a challenge from Bernardo Silva.

The Norway captain was clear about his feelings on the tackle afterwards. "It doesn't belong on a football field," he told Norwegian outlet TV2. "It's a shame that people do that."

On the injury itself, Odegaard added: "I got a knock on my ankle there, so it probably won't be good tonight."

Declan Rice, meanwhile, withdrew from the England squad before the window began. According to football.london, the midfielder's withdrawal was down to concerns over load management rather than a specific injury. He was still at Wembley on Saturday to watch his international teammates lose to Spain.

For Arsenal, the trio represent three different levels of concern: a precautionary absence in Rice's case, a fresh knock for Odegaard, and an unexplained individual programme for Konsa. England have not specified the reason for the defender's modified session, and neither Arsenal nor the national team have confirmed an injury.

Clarity may arrive when Tuchel names his side in Prague on Tuesday evening. Until then, Arteta and his staff will await the return of their internationals before assessing the damage from a break that has already thrown up more questions than the Arsenal boss would have wanted.