Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal's Bukayo Saka is likely to miss “more than two months” of action after undergoing surgery on his injured hamstring.
Saka withdrew from the Gunners' Premier League victory over Crystal Palace last weekend, leaving Selhurst Park on crutches.
It deals Arteta a huge blow in Arsenal's quest for the Premier League title this season, with Saka one of his side's star strikers so far.
Across all competitions, the England international has provided nine goals and 13 assists in 24 appearances for Arsenal this season.
Only Chelsea's Cole Palmer (48) has created more chances in the Premier League this season than Saka (42), while his 15 goals are only surpassed by Palmer (18) and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (27).
However, Arsenal managed to climb to second in the standings following their 1-0 win over Ipswich Town in his absence on Friday, but that victory was overshadowed by Arteta's update on Saka after the whistle.
“He has undergone a procedure,” Arteta said. “Everything went well, but unfortunately he will be out for many, many weeks.
“I said a lot of weeks, so I think it will be more than two months. I don't know exactly how much longer.
“It's going to depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal, the first week or so, and the mobility of that. Let's see, it's very hard to say.”
Arteta was able to deliver positive news about Chelsea loanee Raheem Sterling, who has missed the last two games due to a knee injury.
The Arsenal boss expected the 30-year-old to be out for “weeks” due to his problem, but the problem is not as bad as initially feared and he could be available for selection soon.
“Yes, we have to see this week how he evolves,” Arteta added. “We probably expected the knee injury to last longer than it has evolved in recent days.
“Hopefully that's good news because we need him.”
Arsenal's next Premier League match is against Brentford on New Year's Day, with the Gunners hoping to continue their good performances at the Gtech Community Stadium.
They have won their last three away games against Brentford in all competitions without conceding a single goal.
The Gunners last won four consecutive away games against an opponent, while keeping a clean sheet against Sunderland between 2003 and 2008.
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