Arsenal full-back Kieran Gibbs has been sidelined for three weeks with an ankle injury.
Gibbs sustained the injury during the first half of the Champions League win over Partizan Belgrade earlier this week, and was immediately ruled out of Monday’s showdown with Manchester United.
And following scans, it has now been determined that the 21-year-old will be sidelined for the rest of the month, which includes the busy festive schedule.
Manager Arsene Wenger told the club’s official website: “We have lost Kieran Gibbs from Wednesday night but he should be the only one. We think that he will be out for three weeks.
“I am very disappointed. I hope it will not put in his mind that he is an injured player. It was just an accident and you cannot do anything about it. Time will help him get over that and it is not major damage to his ankle.”
However, there has been some good news for Wenger on the injury front with the return to training of defender Gael Clichy.
He added: “We should have Gael back (for Monday’s game against United). He was in (on Thursday). He was very weak still but we hope he will progress well.”