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London - Arsenal have been dealt a blow with the news that midfielder Francis Coquelin will be out for at least two months with a knee injury.
Manager Arsene Wenger announced that the 24-year-old Frenchman suffered knee ligament damage in Saturday's 2-1 Premier League defeat at West Bromwich Albion.
Coquelin will now miss the busy festive period but Wenger is hoping a scan later on Monday does not rule out the former France under-21 international for a longer spell.
"I'm always a bit cautious," he said when asked about the seriousness of Coquelin's injury.
"It is a least two months but I'm cautious as we had so many bad surprises on scans that I do not want to speculate more than that. Certainly for the next two months we play without Coquelin," added Wenger, whose team face Dinamo Zagreb in a crucial Champions League game on Tuesday evening.
The January transfer window will give Wenger the chance to bring in another midfield recruit, but he suggested he already has a number of options available to step into Coquelin's place.
"It is of course a disappointment to lose him in the longer term but we have in the squad the players who can compensate. We have lost a player of quality for a while but we know that can happen," he added.
"I will give myself time, we have players who play in this position like Mathieu Flamini and players who can play there like Calum Chambers.
"Sometimes this is a good opportunity for other players to turn up and do the job. I will do what is needed in January, knowing as well it is not an ideal transfer market."
