Arsenal were said to be hopeful Mohamed Elneny is only facing weeks on the sidelines with his hamstring injury, rather than months, but Mikel Arteta’s post match comments blow those hopes away.

Early on Wednesday, the Daily Mail reported that, despite concerns over Mohamed Elneny’s hamstring problem, Arsenal hoped he was facing weeks on the sidelines, rather than months.

The midfielder was still being assessed following the problem he suffered during the match against Leicester City.

The Athletic initially reported that Elneny played on through his injury at the weekend, but there were still substantial concerns that he’d be sidelined for the long term.

Charles Watts then added that it’s a hamstring injury, but Arsenal are yet to confirm the nature or severity of the problem themselves.

After Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa at the Emirates on Wednesday night, however, Mikel Arteta said it was ‘bad news’ without clarifying what the injury was. It is believed to be a hamstring problem.

Asked about the injury, Arteta replied, “Bad news.

“Looks like he’s going to be out for quite some time.”

The injury leaves Arsenal short in midfield, but there’s so little time for the Gunners to sign a replacement before the transfer deadline.

Mikel Arteta may be relying on speedy recoveries for his injured midfielders and younger players stepping up to fill gaps if he’s not able to find any one he likes in the transfer window.

“[Elneny’s injury] changes things because Thomas is also injured,” Arteta said. “We are looking at options in the market and to see if the right opportunity comes up.”

For example, Arsenal u21 Matt Smith joined the matchday squad against Aston Villa on Wednesday night, having also featured with the first team in the early stages of pre-season.

Smith, Miguel Azeez, and James Olayinka are all potentially available to help out if they don’t leave on loan or permanent moves in the next 24 hours.

It also seems as if Partey’s injury could be worse that initially reported. When asked about the Europa League, Arteta said, “Yes [I thought about how to balance the squad for the Europa League] but then things like the injuries to Thomas and Mo happened. You have to deal with what you’ve got on the day. We will try to give opportunities to everyone.”

That certainly doesn’t sound like a small thigh strain.