Unai Emery Reveals Extent of Hector Bellerin Injury as Arsenal Crisis Deepens

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has confirmed that his defender Héctor Bellerín will be out of action for a number of weeks after injuring his lower leg during Sunday's 3-2 loss to Southampton.

The Gunners will now head into the festive run of fixtures without their first choice right-back, and Emery will be scrabbling to put together a fully fit backline with a number of key defenders injured. As it stands, Shkodran Mustafi, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Sokratis, Rob Holding and Sead Kolasinac are all currently out of action.

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Speaking after his side's defeat to the Saints, via Sky Sports, Emery revealed his concerns over Bellerín, and said: "Bellerin has a small injury - he is going to be some weeks off, I think. Sokratis is coming back and we will see how Mustafi and Kolasinac are, and it is good news Koscielny can be with us for the next matches. 

"It is not a good result but it was important for us (to have them back). We are going to wait tomorrow and Tuesday, and Wednesday we are going to play, and then Saturday also. We need every player."

The Gunners face their fierce local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup quarter final on Wednesday evening, before hosting Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.

Arsenal fans will be desperate to see their defenders recover as soon as possible, with crunch matches against the likes of Brighton and Liverpool taking place over the festive period. As things stand, the Gunners are currently fifth in the Premier League table - three points of Chelsea in fourth place.

In other news, Arsenal have reportedly started negotiations with Boca Juniors with a view to sign their 22-year-old winger Cristian Pavon. The tenacious winger could be available for around £40m, and would offer the Gunners some real flair in their midfield. Fulham are also believed to be interested in the player, but are unlikely to match Arsenal's eventual bid.