Arsenal injury concerns sparked as new signing Fabio Vieira spotted in protective boot

FABIO VIEIRA has been pictured wearing a protective boot just days after completing his summer move to Arsenal.

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new boy Fabio Vieira has been pictured wearing a protective boot in a worrying blow for the Gunners ahead of the new Premier League season. The 22-year-old joined Arsenal from Porto on a long-term contract last month after turning plenty of heads with his impressive performances for the Portuguese heavyweights throughout the previous campaign.

Vieira will be expected to provide some additional creativity in the middle of the park for Arsenal next season as they aim for a return to the Premier League's top four after narrowly missing out at the last time of asking. It remains to be seen whether he will be fit enough to be involved at the very start of the campaign, though, after he was spotted wearing a protective boot in a photograph that was posted on social media.

The picture was taken with a fan outside Arsenal's training ground at London Colney on Friday, with the club having already kicked off their pre-season preparations earlier this week. Vieira was sporting a protective boot after picking up a minor foot issue, according to James Benge, and could now face a race against time to be fit for Arsenal's opening game in the Premier League against Crystal Palace in early August.

Vieira is by no means prone to extended spells on the treatment table, having only suffered one injury over the course of his career to date. He was forced to miss 10 days of action last January after testing positive for COVID-19 before he was sidelined for just under two weeks with a minor leg injury during last month's international break.

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Fabio Vieira was pictured wearing a protective boot on his left foot

Fabio Vieira was pictured wearing a protective boot on his left foot (Image: TWITTER/GETTY)

The midfielder will be desperately hoping to reach full fitness over the next few weeks in order to take part in Arsenal's pre-season training programme before the Premier League returns at the start of next month. He recently admitted that he was hugely excited to get going at the Emirates Stadium after signing on the dotted line last week, with Porto receiving a transfer fee in the region of £32million in exchange for his services.

"I’m thrilled, of course," Vieira told the club's official channels. "This is an important step forward in my career. Arsenal is a huge and historic club, so I’m delighted to be here at my new home.

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Vieira joined the Gunners from Porto earlier this summer

Vieira joined the Gunners from Porto earlier this summer (Image: EXPRESS)

"It certainly was a fast process. It was something that I was drawn to. Meeting the people at the club was a real positive for me. I’m loving it here and I’m here to give the team my all.

"As I said, Arsenal is a historic English club. It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. Everyone knows that Arsenal are a fantastic team.

"That was one of the main factors behind me choosing Arsenal. I really like the way the team plays and I can’t wait to get started."

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