Mikel Arteta admits he is uncertain how much time Kieran Tierney will miss for Arsenal after the Scot sat out the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on Thursday.
Tierney has been a revelation for the Gunners in recent weeks, helping to sure up the defence and providing an attacking outlet.
His absence was noticeable as Arsenal’s four-game win streak came to an end, leaving them 11th in the Premier League table and eight points off the top four.
And Arteta has revealed Tierney is set for an MRI scan to determine just how long he will be out for, while underlining how Arsenal will miss how he has become a “real threat” for the opposition.
“I don't know [when he will be back]. He is going to have an MRI scan and we'll see how he is,” Arteta said.
"He's a real threat and the way we are playing and the way we attack on that left-side, he's a really important player.
“We didn't have him, he's injured, and we have to find other solutions.”
Arteta also conceded his team lacked “quality” in the game at the Emirates Stadium.
“Some freshness and quality in the final third [was missing]; we generated a lot of entries but without big chances,” Arteta said on Sky Sports after the game.
"We lacked the timing or the last pass [or] shot, and we had to generate more to win the game.
“I would like to see a win and score a few goals and they didn’t happen. Fatigue played a big moment when we started to give difficult balls away and give the transitions. I cannot fault [the players in] this period, they tried until the last minute but it wasn’t enough today.”
