Danny Welbeck remained in hospital yesterday as medics continued to assess the severity of the horrific ankle injury the Arsenal striker suffered in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The extent of the damage to Welbeck’s right ankle will not become clear until later this weekend, with Arsenal saying on Friday that they expect to issue a further update within the next 72 hours.

Welbeck landed awkwardly in the first half of Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Sporting CP and was given oxygen before he was stretchered off the pitch and taken directly to hospital.

It is feared that the 27-year-old, whose Arsenal contract expires at the end of this season, has suffered a major fracture. It is just the latest injury setback for Welbeck, who missed 70 games between May 2015 and January 2017 with a series of knee, hip and groin injuries.

Meanwhile, Arsenal defender Rob Holding has revealed his disappointment at not being included in the England squad for the upcoming fixtures against the United States and Croatia. Holding has been arguably Arsenal’s most consistent central defender this season and has started 10 of the last 12 games under head coach Unai Emery.