Arsenal man faces surgery as Arteta suffers huge double injury blow

Arsenal have suffered a huge injury blow with the news that Pablo Mari has been ruled out for the rest of the season while Granit Xhaka is also facing a spell on the sidelines, according to the Daily Mail.

Mari arrived at the Emirates Stadium in January after sealing a six-month a loan from Flamengo and impressed during wins over Portsmouth and West Ham before football was suspended back in March.

The Spaniard kept his place for the trip to Manchester City when football returned on Wednesday night but the centre-back pulled up midway through the first half after hurting his ankle while chasing down Kyle Walker.

Mari was replaced by David Luiz in the 22nd minute and the Daily Mail are one of several media outlets claiming the defender is now facing a prolonged spell on the treatment table after damaging ankle ligaments at the Etihad Stadium.

The newspaper says Mari has already been ruled out for the rest of the season and may require surgery to repair the damage. The injury will come as a big blow to the 26-year-old as he was desperate to prove himself while on loan to try and secure a permanent move to Arsenal.

However, Mari’s absence will also be a disappointment for Mikel Arteta as the boss is left with limited options at centre-back with Calum Chambers also out with a serious knee injury.

To compound matters, David Luiz may have played his last game for the club after being sent off against City as the Brazilian is out of contract at the end of the month and is yet to sign an extension.

In another blow for Arsenal, the Daily Mail claims that Xhaka is also facing a spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury during the first half against Manchester City in midweek.

Xhaka went down clutching his ankle following a collision with Matteo Guendouzi and was replaced by Dani Ceballos in the 8th minute but the report suggests he could return before the end of the season.

The defeat to City was certainly a costly one but Arteta has called on his players to bounce back quickly with a positive result when Arsenal travel to the south coast to take on Brighton at the Amex on Saturday afternoon.