Martin Zubimendi had been on the pitch barely 10 minutes before he came off it bloodied. The Arsenal midfielder entered Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League win over Everton as a late substitute and was struck in the face by Thierno Barry while challenging for the ball. He finished the match with tissue packed into his right nostril.

Arsenal have not formally announced the diagnosis. Several reports describe a nasal fracture, and he has been fitted with a clear protective mask that he is expected to wear in the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night.

A season spent largely on the bench

The Fleetwood tie had already shaped up as one of Zubimendi’s rare chances of a run-out. The 27-year-old has made nine appearances this season, the vast majority of them as a substitute, and the Everton cameo was his first match-day minutes since being ruled out of Arsenal’s Champions League trip to Lille by a training injury.

Mikel Arteta has rotated the Spain international out of his first-choice midfield since the opening weeks of the campaign.

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Real Madrid circling for January

The timing cuts awkwardly for everyone involved. Multiple reports have linked Zubimendi with a January move to Real Madrid, around 15 months after Arsenal paid roughly €65m to buy him from Real Sociedad.

The thin stream of minutes has made that speculation harder to wave away, with Spanish and English outlets putting a figure of around £60m on a potential winter deal.

A possible second start of the campaign

Arteta is expected to make close to a full round of changes for Fleetwood, giving extended minutes to players on the margins of his squad. If Zubimendi starts in his mask on Tuesday, it will be only his second Arsenal start of the season.

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