Mikel Arteta says £31m Arsenal star is 'out for weeks' after Aston Villa game

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provided an injury update on Cristhian Mosquera following the club’s 2-1 Premier League loss to Aston Villa on the road on Saturday.

The Gunners suffered a last-gasp defeat to the Villans. Emiliano Buendia scored with the final kick of the game after several defensive blocks in the box.

Speaking in his post-match presser, Arteta confirmed that Mosquera will be ‘out for weeks’ and it is much more than the Gunners had initially expected.

He said via Arsenal.com: “He’s going to be out for weeks, unfortunately, it’s much more than what we expected. But the player was feeling it, so he’s going to be out for weeks.”

Earlier this week, BBC Sport journalist Sami Mokbel said that Mosquera could be out of action for between six and eight weeks after sustaining an ankle injury against Brentford.

Arsenal were due to conduct further tests to determine the exact timescale, and Arteta has now disclosed the bad news that Mosquera will be sidelined for some time.

Mosquera, valued at £31 million by Transfermarkt, has had a fine start to his Gunners career after his summer move from Valencia. His setback against the Bees was unfortunate.

The Spaniard sustained the injury after an awkward landing while contesting an aerial duel. Hopefully, he can make a quick recovery and return to action as soon as possible.

Arsenal have had to field Jurrien Timber and Piero Hincapie in the heart of the defence lately, with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes also on the sidelines with injuries.

Arteta has made it quite clear that Saliba’s concern is minor. The Frenchman is a ‘matter of days’ from a potential return and could be back in the matchday squad soon.

The Gunners will be in Champions League action against Club Brugge on the road on Wednesday night before hosting Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league in Saturday’s late kick-off.

Arteta needs to manage the workload of some key players after a difficult outing at Villa Park.

Declan Rice is one of those who should be rested entirely in the midweek European encounter, having overcome a minor knock to play over 90 minutes on Saturday.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

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