Mikel Arteta has provided the latest on when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could return to the Arsenal starting line up.
The Gunners' captain had to withdraw from the squad late on due to a family issue ahead of the FA Cup tie against Southampton on Saturday.
Ahead of the Premier League game against the same opposition it was confirmed that the 32-year-old would be absent due to the same reason.
The exact nature of the issue is not known but speaking to press ahead of the game Arteta admitted that he is unsure when the Gabon striker will be back.
"I don’t know," said the Spaniard when asked about a potential return date for Aubameyang.
"The issue is still going. It’s not resolved yet. He needs a little bit of time and we have to respect and support that."
Arsenal will be hoping to have their captain available for the game against Manchester United on Saturday, but it is unclear at the moment whether he will be.
Speaking after the defeat to Saints in the FA Cup on Saturday Arteta admitted that it will be a problem for the Gunners if Aubameyang is out for too much longer.
"Of course, it will be a problem," he said. "Because he’s our top striker and the one who’s scored the most goals and our captain, a really important player in the team.
"We have to respect the time. Let's see. I don’t have enough information right now to see how things are evolving. Hopefully they will go in the right direction."
The Gabonese forward's absence was not too keenly felt at St. Mary's on Tuesday night as his replacement Nicolas Pepe was able to score against Southampton.
Mikel Arteta also has Gabriel Martinelli, Reiss Nelson and Willian as options to replace Aubameyang on the left hand side.
However, they will be hoping to have him back as soon as possible with Saturday's game against Manchester United kicking off a tough run of fixtures throughout the month of February.
