Lucas Torreira Posts Injury Update, Talks Impact of the Coronavirus at Arsenal
March 17, 2020
Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira has provided an update on his recovery after fracturing his ankle. He has also said manager Mikel Arteta "is improving" after he tested positive for the coronavirus.
Torreira's season looked as though it had ended prematurely when he came off early in the 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round win over Portsmouth in early March.
It was reported the setback would keep the Uruguay international sidelined for eight to 10 weeks, and he took to social media (h/t MailOnline's Tom Caldon) as he seeks to hasten his return: "Working and messing with recovery. All together, we will move forward."
Torreira's chances of returning by the end of the season looked slim at the time of his diagnosis when Arteta suggested there was a chance he may have played his last game this term:
The Premier League has since been suspended until at least April 4 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, with the campaign looking likely to be either extended or cancelled altogether.
Torreira told Radio Sport 890 (h/t MailOnline's Kishan Vaghela): "I had to buy some devices, and the club will collaborate with everyone so that we can continue working individually in our homes. I'm happy because the exams were good. I'm still wearing the orthopaedic boot. In eight or 10 weeks I will be able to work normally."
Torreira now stands a better chance of having a greater effect on Arsenal's season post-recovery should the campaign resume, and Simon Collings of the Evening Standard praised his unique input:
Arteta was the first Premier League figurehead to test positive for COVID-19, and Torreira spoke of the impact felt since the illness spread in England:
"The truth is that we didn't expect this virus to reach the club, the locker room. Mikel Arteta is better. He was able to communicate with us, and he is improving.
"In recent days, many cases of coronavirus were discovered in London and people were nervous. In some supermarkets, you can no longer find toilet paper or gel alcohol."
Arsenal sat ninth in the Premier League at the time when play was postponed, and Arteta's side were also due to face Sheffield United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Perhaps the Spaniard's greatest improvement since he was appointed has been tightening Arsenal's defence, but the Telegraph's Sam Dean highlighted another way in which Arteta is having a positive effect:
Sam Dean @SamJDeanBack to work after two weeks away. Very good news for Arsenal that club doctor Gary O’Driscoll has changed his mind about joining Liverpool. He's a popular figure behind the scenes & his decision to stay is further evidence of the improved mood at #AFC since Arteta's appointment.
Arsenal announced at the time of Arteta's positive test that the full first-team squad were to be put in self-isolation, and managing director Vinai Venkatesham said Arteta was "disappointed but in good spirits."
Torreira said he's "quarantined at home and am working on my own in recovery."
The South American added that plans to return to his native Uruguay were disrupted after "all the flights were cancelled due to the coronavirus."
The former Sampdoria star made 21 starts in 33 appearances this season prior to his injury, but Torreira will hope to grow his status among Arteta's ranks should the campaign resume.