Arsenal expect Granit Xhaka to be out for three months with a knee ligament injury sustained in Sunday’s derby victory over Tottenham, meaning the midfielder may not return until early in the new year.
Xhaka was withdrawn in the 82nd minute of Arsenal’s 3-1 win after an accidental collision with Lucas Moura. He was in obvious pain, leaving the stadium with a knee brace on his right leg, and Mikel Arteta warned that “it doesn’t look very positive”. Now Arsenal have confirmed that Xhaka has “a significant injury to his medial knee ligament”, although it will not require surgery and he will begin his rehabilitation immediately.
The timing is cruel for Arsenal and Xhaka, who was outstanding on an afternoon that was seen as a benchmark for Arteta’s side. He had just returned from a three-match suspension and dominated the midfield alongside Thomas Partey, marking the latest turnaround in his fortunes in north London after he had seemed likely to depart in the summer.
Going by Arsenal’s timescale, Xhaka would miss their next 14 Premier League games. It means Albert Sambi Lokonga, the impressive recent arrival from Anderlecht, is likely to receive more opportunities, although Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Mohamed Elneny are other options. Arteta may also choose to play Partey as a lone deep midfielder, as he did when Arsenal won at Burnley this month. They are next in action on Saturday, when they visit sixth-placed Brighton in search of a fourth straight win.