Christos Tzolis was forced off injured during Greece’s 2-2 Nations League draw with the Netherlands on Thursday.
The winger lasted only 18 minutes in Thessaloniki before going down with what appeared to be a hamstring problem. Tzolis received treatment on the pitch and initially appeared reluctant to leave the game.
Greece head coach Ivan Jovanovic revealed that Tzolis even resisted his instructions to come off, highlighting the player’s determination to continue.
“I’m his coach, I tell him to come out and he says, ‘I’m not coming out’,” Jovanovic said.
Tzolis eventually left the pitch after the medical team assessed the muscular problem, with Jovanovic stressing that the decision was taken as a precaution.
“When it’s muscular issues, that, along with the doctors, with the immediate information I have, was the reason I asked for it to come out immediately,” he said.
Jovanovic admitted there was no immediate indication of the extent of the injury but hoped it was nothing serious.
“We don’t know how much damage was done today, but I hoped it was just a twitch, something temporary,” he added.
Tzolis is expected to miss Greece’s meeting with Germany this weekend while the full extent of the injury is assessed.
The latest scare adds to Arsenal’s concerns during the international break, with Kai Havertz also picking up an injury problem against the Netherlands.
Martin Odegaard suffered a heavy challenge from Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva but was cleared to play against Norway on Thursday.
Arsenal are due back in Premier League action against Leeds on Saturday, October 10.
