Arsenal winger Noni Madueke is one of many Gunners stars that are representing their respective nations over the March international break – but the Englishman was forced off in her country’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay.
Ben White, who has been called up for the first time since pre-2022 World Cup, scored the Three Lions’ solitary goal at Wembley Stadium.
The defender then gave away a penalty in the match’s dying embers and Federico Valverde converted from the spot.
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Fans of the Premier League leaders, though, are waiting to hear the latest after Arsenal’s Madueke was taken off in the 38th minute following a reckless challenge from Uruguay striker Rodrigo Aguirre.
Update emerges as Noni Madueke injured in England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay
The former Tottenham Hotspur youth prospect started on the right flank at Wembley, which provided him with the perfect chance to impress ahead of this summer’s competition – the 2026 World Cup.
Following the rather stale 1-1 draw with Uruguay, boss Thomas Tuchel did not offer an update on Madueke’s state after he was replaced by Jarrod Bowen seven minutes before the half-time interval.
The 24-year-old – who joined Arsenal from Chelsea this summer – was seen limping with his left knee in a brace as he left Wembley on Friday night.
Now, ahead of England’s encounter against Japan, Noni Madueke is now expected to leave the Three Lions camp and return to Arsenal, who face Southampton in the FA Cup next before travelling away from home to lock horns with Sporting CP.
Madueke – a ten-cap England international – now faces a race against time to be fit for the Gunners’ trip down to St Mary’s next Saturday.
Although the common belief is that Madueke will return to his club, Tuchel remained coy in his post-match press conference. “It’s too early because now we have some injuries and there’s also a medical update on the players who came.
“Not everyone was fully fit as I understood, I’m not fully aware because I was focused on the match. We will like always as a coach take late decisions and maybe take the decision tomorrow to have the squad against Japan.
“We need to check on John Stones, we need to double check on Jude [Bellingham], what’s the situation and how we can use them,” he concluded.
Arsenal’s injury problems continue to mount
Although Madueke is not one of the first names on Mikel Arteta’s teamsheet, the wide man being injured will be a sore miss – especially after they fluffed their chance to win the first trophy of the 2025/26 campaign.
Losing 2-0 to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final was a massive blow, as is the long list of injury-stricken absentees.
Gabriel Magalhaes has withdrawn from the Brazil squad and William Saliba has done the same for France. Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard are also among those who withdrew from international duty.
By virtue of their three-pronged pursuit of silverware, Arteta will be keen to have as many players at his disposal as possible. That includes Madueke, who has played 31 matches across all competitions this term.
