Benik Afobe is poised to miss the business end of Arsenal’s pre-season, after being selected for the England Under 20 squad for next months Under 20 World Cup in Colombia.
Afobe is still expected to join Arsène Wenger’s first-team when training gets underway on Monday, but he won’t have the opportunity to impress in a game situation, as England have told him to be ready for their July 14th meet up.
The 18-year-old was expected to be offered the opportunity to earn a place in Wenger’s squad for the next campaign, after impressing during a loan spell with League One Huddersfield Town last season. However, his inclusion means he’ll only have just over a week of training to leave an impression.
One option the Frenchman does have, is asking the FA to re-consider their stance on Benik, just like he did with Jack Wilshere and the Under 21 European Championships. This seems unlikely, so a second loan spell away from the club looks inevitable, with Millwall already making inquires over his services.
Francis Coquelin, Gilles Sunu and Ignasi Miquel are all in the same boat, as they’ll be featuring for France and Spain respectively.
Elsewhere, Arsenal have moved pre-season training forward, all first-team and Reserve players will now report for duty on Monday, not Wednesday, as original planned.