Arsenal are reportedly bracing themselves for the worst as Francis Coquelin could be ruled out of action with a knee injury for months.
The Gunners midfielder sustained the setback during the first half of Saturday’s 3-0 win over Chelsea, and after attempting to run it off, he collapsed back onto the pitch and had to be assisted off and replaced.
As noted by The Sun, it is feared that it is a reoccurrence of the medial ligament injury that saw him miss two months last season, with manager Arsene Wenger confirming after the game that Coquelin left the stadium wearing a knee brace.
The 25-year-old is expected to undergo further tests on Monday to reveal the full extent of the problem, but it’s certainly fair to say that Arsenal are extremely concerned over how long they could be without their tenacious midfielder.
Although Wenger will feel confident that the likes of Granit Xhaka and Santi Cazorla will be able to fill the two deeper midfield roles moving forward, it’s certainly a blow to lose Coquelin who has proven to be crucial in the way that the team plays.
Coupled with the fact that Aaron Ramsey is likely to be out with a hamstring injury until mid-October too, he doesn’t want a situation where he is losing key players in the same area of the pitch and running short of options ahead of a busy time in the schedule.
It’s safe to say that Coquelin will not feature against either Basel or Burnley in the coming seven days, but it now remains to be seen whether or not he is out for weeks rather than months, with Arsenal hoping that he can make a speedy recovery to help them continue their current impressive form.