Arsenal fought back to beat Stoke City 3-1 at the Emirates earlier in the day and go top of the Premier League table, but will be without Shkodran Mustafi for the next three weeks.
The German centre-back arrived from Valencia over the summer and has formed a strong defensive partnership alongside Laurent Koscielny.
However, the 24-year-old was forced off in the 25th minute of today’s game with a hamstring injury and, after the game, Arsene Wenger confirmed he will be without the defender’s services for the next 21 days.
This means Mustafi will miss the following fixtures:
Everton (a) – 13th Dec
Manchester City (a) – 18th Dec
West Brom (h) – 26th Dec
Crystal Palace (h) – 1st Jan
If Mustafi’s injury layoff is as expected, then the centre-back should be in line to make his first-team return against Bournemouth away from home on January 4th.
Hopefully, Gabriel and Rob Holding can hold the fort until then.
