After reporting earlier on Thursday that Mikel Arteta would be out for another few weeks – we couldn’t have been more wrong.
Going on reports from the Guardian it was claimed that the midfielder had a set-back but it didn’t seem serious given the information available.
Now Arsene Wenger has revealed that the Spaniard has undergone surgery on his ankle and will be sidelined for three months.
Speaking to Arsenal.com Wenger said
“Mikel has had surgery which went well. I have just seen him, he is back with us at the training ground.
“He had a limited mobility in his ankle and some persistent inflammation that had an impact on his calf. That meant we had to make the decision to have surgery and it’s a proper solution which gives him the best chance to recover.”
The midfielder needed the operation to ‘remove a bony spur’ proving that spurs are annoying wherever they are.
The news comes as a massive blow and if Wenger was only pondering bringing in replacements for the rest of the season he must surely now be thinking more seriously about it all.
That is unless he just decides to go with Francis Coquelin, and we all know that’s a very real possibility.