Arsenal have confirmed that Granit Xhaka is set to be sidelined for the next three months after suffering a "significant" knee injury against Tottenham Hotspur.
The 29-year-old returned to the starting lineup for the North London derby after serving a three-match suspension and completed 82 minutes of that 3-1 win before being forced off.
Lucas Moura collided into Xhaka following an initial challenge from Thomas Partey, and the Gunners have now revealed that the Switzerland captain is facing a lengthy rehabilitation period.
A medical update on arsenal.com read: "Further to injuring his right knee during Sunday's match against Tottenham Hotspur, assessments and scans have confirmed that Granit Xhaka suffered a significant injury to his medial knee ligament.
"A specialist consultation took place in London on Tuesday evening which has determined that Granit does not require surgery. Granit's recovery and rehabilitation programme will start immediately and we are aiming for him to be back in action in approximately three months."
Xhaka is therefore set to miss crunch clashes with Liverpool and Manchester United before the end of the year and is fighting to be fit for the New Year's Day clash with Manchester City.
Ben Knapton
