Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette has been sidelined until October with an ankle injury, which will see him miss a string of important fixtures.
According to the Daily Mirror, the Frenchman has been playing through the pain in recent weeks, but in order to recover properly, the Gunners have advised him to take some time off.
Lacazette has been ruled out of action for a month, which represents a huge blow for Emery ahead of a trip to Vicarage Road to face Watford this weekend.
The 28-year-old has scored twice in three appearances for Arsenal this season, forming one-third of a deadly attacking triumvirate alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe.
The Gunners will now be without an influential ace for their Europa League opener against Eintracht Frankfurt next week and he will sit out further Premier League matches against Aston Villa and Manchester United.
Lacazette will also be unavailable for Arsenal’s Carabao Cup third-round clash against Nottingham Forest on September 24, with Aubameyang likely to move back into a central role.
Emery’s men sit fifth in the Premier League after their first four matches of the 2019-20 campaign, having picked up two wins before suffering a defeat at Liverpool and being held to a draw at home to Tottenham.
Arsenal have looked vulnerable defensively, but going forward they have always looked dangerous, with Lacazette’s presence vital in maximising their output in the final third.
The France international will be a big miss over the next few weeks, with October 3 looking like his most likely return date, when Arsenal host Standard Liege in another Europa League group stage encounter.
Emery still has enough strength in depth at his disposal to cope without Lacazette for the time being, but supporters will hope that he recovers quickly in order to spearhead the attack again as soon as possible.
