Arsenal's Mathieu Debuchy Could Require Surgery After Ankle Injury

Arsenal defender Mathieu Debuchy will learn on Friday whether he will require surgery to fix a broken ankle ligament sustained against Manchester City last weekend.

The French international was replaced by Calum Chambers after 81 minutes of the 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium after an awkward fall and is likely to be out for up to three months.

But Debuchy has now revealed that he could require surgery to fix the issue which is likely to impact on his return to an Arsenal team which is suffering an injury crisis in defence.

"No fracture but one broken ligament," he wrote on his official Facebook page. "I have to wait until Friday in order to know if i must have surgery..."

Debuchy joined Arsenal from Newcastle United in the summer and has started all four of the club's Premier League games; he now faces a lengthy spell on the side-lines.

The absence of Debuchy coupled with the loss of Chambers left Arsenal wafer thin in defensive resources for the Champions League opener against Borussia Dortmund, forcing manager Arsene Wenger to start with debutant Hector Bellerin at right back.

"Debuchy has a bad ankle sprain," Wenger said last weekend. "I don't know how long he will be out for, but it does not look too good. They [the medical staff] need more time to assess how long he will be out."

Reports on Thursday claim that Wenger is attempting to cover the club's defensive injuries with the addition of former Everton defender Joseph Yobo and ex-West Bromwich Albion centre-back Diego Lugano – both of whom are free agents.

Though the Gunners are still to confirm the severity of the injury, Debuchy faces spending the remainder of the year on the treatment table and becomes the latest high profile absentee.

Olivier Giroud is out for the rest of 2014 and though Theo Walcott is hopeful of returning within the next month, the England winger hasn't played since last January. Mathieu Flamini missed the defeat to Dortmund while Jack Wilshere picked up a late ankle problem.