Arsenal Dealt Major Injury Blow With Key Man Facing Months Out

Arsenal have been dealt a major injury blow with the news that Francis Coquelin is set to be ruled out for up to three months after damaging knee ligaments, according to the Daily Mail.

Coquelin was forced off early on during our disappointing 2-1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday after hurting his knee during an innocuous 50-50 challenge in the middle of the park.

Arsene Wenger admitted after the game that the injury looked ‘severe’ but refused to speculate over how long the midfielder would be out for until further examinations had been undertaken.

However, it looks like it’s bad news as the Daily Mail are one of several media outlets who are now reporting that initial scans have shown significant ligament damage and Coquelin is now facing an extended spell on the sidelines.

The newspaper says that the club will wait for swelling to go down before conducting further tests to determine the full extend of the problem but it’s believed that the 24-year-old has already been ruled out for the rest of 2015 and could face up to three months on the treatment table.

The news comes as a major blow as we’re already having to deal with a lengthy injury list and Coquelin is arguably the last player we could afford to get injured due to the lack of alternatives in the squad.

Mikel Arteta is the back-up defensive midfielder but he too picked up a calf injury at the weekend meaning that Mathieu Flamini is now the only available senior holding player available to Wenger.

Aaron Ramsey is due back in training today but isn’t a defensive midfielder so it’s going to be interesting to see how the boss manages the situation over what’s going to be a hectic festive period.

We should learn more about Coquelin’s injury over the coming days but lets pray for positive news as if his three month absence is confirmed, our season could be over before January.