Granit Xhaka is in the gym and working hard to recover from his latest injury setback.
The Swiss international picked up a bad knee injury in Arsenal’s north London derby win over Tottenham in September and looks as though he will be out of action until at least mid-December.
Early signs had looked good as he was able to walk around the Emirates to celebrate the victory with his teammates and fans, but it was confirmed shortly afterwards that he will be out for at least three months after sustaining serious damage to his medial ligament.
Speaking ahead of the goalless draw with Brighton before the latest international break, Mikel Arteta said: "We’re going to lose him for a while.
“We’ll try to keep him as close as possible to the team. He will evolve and develop in other areas. It’s the first big injury that he’s had.
“We are here to help him and I'm sure we’ll find some ways around it in the team because we have some really good players who can do the job."
Luckily, the injury does not require surgery, and that’s allowed him to start working on his recovery with the Gunners' medical team.
And now that he’s working hard in the gym, the 29-year-old has shared an image of his rehabilitation on Instagram with the caption: “Work mode.”
Xhaka has always split opinion among the Emirates faithful, but it can be argued that the Gunners need him at this present time.
With the Africa Cup of Nations coming up in January, Arteta could lose Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny for up to six weeks, which is why Xhaka's return before then could be crucial.
