Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere will be out of action for three months after undergoing ankle surgery, the Premier League club said yesterday.
The 22-year-old England international damaged ligaments during the league match against Manchester United on Saturday.
“Everyone at the club wishes Jack a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the pitch as soon as possible,” Arsenal said.
Wilshere’s career has been plagued by injuries, mainly to his ankles, and he has played fewer than 100 league games since making his debut in 2008.
He missed the entire 2011-12 campaign after suffering a stress fracture to his ankle which ruled him out for 17 months.
It was another blow for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger who has been badly hampered by injuries during a poor start to the season in which Arsenal have slipped to eighth in the table.
Midfielder Mikel Arteta sustained a calf injury in Wednesday’s Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund, joining Wilshere, Mesut Ozil, Mathieu Debuchy and Theo Walcott on the sidelines.