Noni Madueke is reportedly set for around two months on the sidelines after picking up an injury during Arsenal’s draw with Manchester City.
Madueke started Sunday’s game on the right wing and looked bright during the first half at the Emirates but was replaced by Buykayo Saka at half-time.
Subsequent footage showed the England winger limping down the tunnel at the break, with Mikel Arteta confirming that the 23-year-old had picked up a problem.
‘He had an issue very early in the match and he wasn’t well enough to continue,’ the Spaniard said post-match.
Madueke had been set for scans on Monday, and The Athletic is now reporting that the winger is set to miss around two months of action with a knee injury.
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There were fears that the Englishman had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, but that has been avoided.
A two-month layoff is not ideal for the Gunners, though, with Saka only just returning from an injury of his own on Sunday.
That length of time off would see Madueke miss upcoming fixtures against Newcastle United and West Ham United in the league, as well as Olympiacos in the Champions League.
Madueke will also not be available for October’s international break with England, after impressing under Thomas Tuchel and scoring in the 5-0 win over Serbia in World Cup qualifying earlier this month.
However, given his timeline, there is an outside chance of returning in time for the international break in mid-November, which is the last international camp until March next year.
Arsenal’s fixtures before November international break
Port Vale vs Arsenal (September 24, Carabao Cup)
Newcastle United vs Arsenal (September 28, Premier League)
Arsenal vs Olympiacos (October 1, Champions League)
Arsenal vs West Ham (October 4, Premier League)
Fulham vs Arsenal (October 18, Premier League)
Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid (October 21, Champions League)
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace (October 26, Premier League)
Burnley vs Arsenal (November 1, Premier League)
Slavia Prague vs Arsenal (November 4, Champions League)
Sunderland vs Arsenal (November 8, Premier League)
After the October international break, Arsenal have league fixtures against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sunderland.
There is also the visit of Atletico Madrid and a trip to Czechia to take on Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
After the November international break, Arsenal face a tricky three-game run, with league games against Tottenham and Chelsea sandwiched between the visit of Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Madueke joins fellow attackers Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz on the treatment table, while captain Martin Odegaard also missed Sunday’s game with City due to an ongoing shoulder problem.
Arteta is set to provide a further update on Madueke’s injury in his press conference ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Port Vale.
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