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Report: Matteo Guendouzi still training alone at Arsenal

David Price / Arsenal FC / Getty

Matteo Guendouzi is still training alone and away from Arsenal's first team since he refused to apologize for grabbing Brighton & Hove Albion's Neal Maupay by the neck June 20, according to ESPN's Julien Laurens.

The midfielder hasn't been named in Arsenal's last five matchday squads, with the club winning four and drawing once. He's unlikely to feature in Sunday's showdown with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Guendouzi's agent, Philippe Nabe, is set to meet with manager Mikel Arteta and Raul Sanllehi - who serves as Arsenal's head of football - next week to discuss his client's future. Some outlets have claimed the Frenchman is prepared to leave Arsenal this summer.

The 21-year-old's last outing - the surprise 2-1 defeat at Brighton - was pockmarked by the home team's physical game plan. Maupay was at the center of the match's most controversial moment when he needlessly challenged Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno in an aerial duel. Leno was stretchered off and is in a race to return to match fitness before the end of this season, while Maupay escaped the incident without punishment and went on to score a 95th-minute winner.

Guendouzi confronted Maupay when the final whistle sounded. Although his refusal to apologize has angered Arteta, The Athletic's David Ornstein said earlier this week that the incident was "seen as the latest in a series of indiscretions" by the player.

Guendouzi ranks second among his teammates for interceptions in the 2019-20 Premier League campaign and is third in both completed passes and take-ons.

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