Arsenal games Noni Madueke will miss as winger sidelined for 'two months' with knee injury, ACL truth revealed

Arsenal winger Noni Madueke will reportedly be sidelined for around two months with the knee injury he sustained in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Manchester City.

The former Chelsea man started against Pep Guardiola's side on the right-hand side and made a nuisance of himself before being taken off at half time for the returning Bukayo Saka.

Madueke's early withdrawal led to bemusement and criticism at the time owing to the winger's latest positive performance, but it was then revealed that the England international was forcibly substituted due to a knee issue.

Mikel Arteta could not provide any detailed information in the immediate aftermath of the game, but Madueke was sent for scans on Monday to determine the extent of the damage.

Now, The Athletic reports that Madueke will miss around two months of action with his knee problem, but he has avoided a potentially season-ending ACL injury.

Arsenal and England games Madueke will miss with knee injury

A two-month layoff means that Madueke will be targeting a return in late November, but the 23-year-old could potentially miss up to 18 matches for both club and country while he recuperates from this crushing blow.

The winger will firstly miss Wednesday's EFL Cup clash with Port Vale - as well as any fourth-round tie if Arsenal win in midweek - and Sunday's taxing Premier League trip to face Newcastle United at St James' Park.

Arsenal then play five times in October against Olympiacos, West Ham United, Fulham, Atletico Madrid and Crystal Palace, games that Madueke will miss alongside England's clashes with Wales and Latvia.

Early November meetings with Burnley, Slavia Prague and Sunderland will also come too soon for Madueke, as well as the Three Lions' World Cup 2026 qualifiers with Serbia (November 13) and Albania (November 16).

That international break precedes a daunting run of matches for Arsenal, who then meet Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and Chelsea in the space of seven days from November 23 to 30, and there is no guarantee that Madueke will be available for any of those contests.

However, if the winger recovers well with no complications, he could potentially come back into contention for the North London derby with Spurs at the Emirates on November 23.

How can Arsenal boss Arteta replace injured Madueke?

Madueke's serious concern is not so disastrous for Arsenal thanks to the return of Saka, who spent four weeks out with a hamstring issue before making his return to action off the bench against Man City.

The Hale End graduate is Arsenal's first-choice right-winger anyway, but Arteta will do his utmost to avoid starting him in every game between now and late November given his recent muscular issues.

As a result, 15-year-old Max Dowman could very well earn his full debut for Arsenal in the next couple of months while Madueke recovers, although Ethan Nwaneri is another option on the right flank.

The 18-year-old was deployed as Saka's backup in that role last season and came up with nine goals, but while Arsenal believe that his future lies centrally, push may come to shove during Madueke's absence.