Laurent Koscielny has managed to avoid a broken jaw, but he’ll still need to undergo surgery before he can return, according to reports in France.

L’Equipe report that tests have shown Koscielny hasn’t suffered a jaw fracture as Arsenal feared at first. However, he’ll still have to undergo a procedure to remove the blood putting pressure on the jaw and on the nerve. The duration of his unavailability isn’t yet known.

Arsenal also posted an update on the injury, saying that Koscielny has suffered ‘bruising and soft tissue swelling’. They also didn’t give a timeline for the centre-back’s recovery, saying only that he’s being ‘reviewed on a daily basis’.

Unai Emery is suddenly in the middle of a defensive crisis, with Sokratis Papastathopoulos also ruled out until the end of February. Rob Holding was already out for the season, and right-back Hector Bellerin has joined him.

Hopefully, Koscielny’s injury won’t end up keeping him out for too long. Unlike an injury to his legs, a facial injury isn’t likely to affect his performances much. As soon as the Frenchman is safe to step onto a pitch without aggravating the issue, he should be playing at the same level as before. We’ll just have to wait and see when that is.