The player in question is Nuno Tavares.
Tavares joined Arsenal from Benfica in the summer of 2021. He went on to have a mixed 2021/22 season with the Gunners, as his defensive awareness was called into question several times.
So, when the 2022 summer window rolled around, Arsenal opted to loan the 23-year-old to Marseille.
The Gunners did something similar with William Saliba, who is now one of their best players. Unlike Saliba, though, Tavares’ stint in France was largely a failure and he has now returned to pre-season with Arsenal after taking an extended holiday following his participation at the under-21 European Championships with Portugal.
However, following the left-back’s return to action, an interesting detail has been spotted on social media.
Nuno Tavares was pictured back at London Colney alongside three of his teammates but unlike said trio, Tavares was the only one without a squad number on the front of his training top:
Nuno Tavares is back at London Colney. Looks like he hasn’t been given a squad number. pic.twitter.com/tavnfSU2Vs
— Jeorge Bird (@jeorgebird) August 1, 2023
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