Calafiori’s return confirmed: he ‘will be in the squad’ for Arsenal’s clash against Nottingham Forest

Italy star Riccardo Calafiori is closing in on his return to the pitch for Arsenal as coach Miker Arteta confirmed he ‘will be in the squad’ for his side’s home meeting against Nottingham Forest.

The defender has been sidelined with a knee injury since late October when he limped out of the pitch during the Gunners’ win against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

After suggesting at the end of last month that he would stay out ‘for a few weeks’, Arteta now confirmed his recovery process is ‘going really well’ and he’s ready to be called up as Premier League football is ready to resume after the international break.

Arteta confirms Calafiori’s return against Nottingham Forest: ‘He’ll be in the squad’

“Ricci trained today, so his rehab is going really well,” Arteta told reporters at a pre-match press conference ahead of Nottingham Forest’s visit to the Emirates Stadium.

“He was able to do certain things last week with the physios, and trained on the pitch this week with us and today, so he will be in the squad.”

The Gunners didn’t win any of the Premier League games they played since losing Calafiori for injury, as they picked up two draws against Liverpool and Chelsea and lost away to Newcastle.

The former Bologna versatile defender has six league appearances this term, and his return will also force Italy coach Luciano Spalletti to assess whether to exclude from the starting XI one between him, Alessandro Buongiorno and Alessandro Bastoni.