Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck is expected to be out of action until the festive period after having a knee operation.

The 24-year-old had surgery last week on the injury sustained in April and could now be sidelined until 2016. Welbeck has scored eight goals in 34 games for the Gunners, a tally some believe is not good enough. On top of his rather off goalscoring record Welbeck has struggled with injuries.

The news means that Arsenal are left with just one recognised striker in their entire squad, Olivier Giroud.

The Gunners were highly linked with a move for a striker all summer, but this never materialised and has brought outrage among fans. The news of Welbeck’s surgery will surely only further upset fans.

Welbeck, who joined from Manchester United in 2014, picked up the injury to his left knee after coming on as a substitute in Arsenal’s 0-0 home draw with Chelsea in late April. He was given time to recover, with the club hoping that surgery would not be required, but a statement on the clubs official website confirmed the news and stated that the forward could be out for a ‘period of months’.

“Danny Welbeck has undergone surgery on his left knee after being unable to sufficiently step up his rehabilitation work.”

“The striker has been working throughout the summer to recover from the injury sustained at the end of April.
It had been hoped he would avoid surgery but after increasing his training workload, the injury to his cartilage did not respond as well as hoped and the decision was taken last week for him to undergo surgery by a leading specialist in the field.”

“Danny is now expected to be out for a period of months and everyone at Arsenal wishes him well.”

[Quotes via Arsenal.com]