Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka could be sidelined for between six and eight weeks with a knee injury, according to reports in Switzerland.
The 29-year-old had to be substituted during the second half of the 3-1 win over Spurs at the weekend after a collision with Lucas Moura, and there were concerns that he could be out for a while.
However, it now seems that rather than sustaining an ACL as first feared, Xhaka has suffered inner ligament damage, which is still quite serious, but will not keep him out for anywhere near as long. Most fans on Twitter are disappointed by the injury news but they are happy that his season hasn’t been ended prematurely:
Could’ve been worse, definitely won’t do us any favours though
— James. (@afcjxmes) September 28, 2021
Noooooo😭😭😭 Arsenal are cursed
— ➐ (@Vhuthu19) September 28, 2021
Wishing him a speedy recovery
— Michael 🇳🇬 (@Michael2497_) September 28, 2021
Great news realistically – I honestly thought his season was over. Obviously not ideal but back before Christmas hopefully.
— Ben Redfern (@BenRedfern1) September 28, 2021
Personally, I think we will really miss him
— Richard Morey (@DickieMorey) September 28, 2021
At least not ACL
— Jacek (@jacqlbn) September 28, 2021
Not good but could have been worse.
— YKADOA (@YKadoa999) September 28, 2021
Unbelievable luck
— James Farmer (@James_farmer83) September 28, 2021
Could have been a lot worse! Phew!! Get well soon Granit
— The Resistance ✊🏻✊🏽✊🏿 (@Ands14) September 28, 2021
At the time of writing, the estimated return date has not been confirmed by the club but, all in all, considering he could have potentially been out for eight months, rather than eight weeks, it is a positive development.