Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Cristhian Mosquera will be out for “weeks” through injury.
Mosquera injured his ankle on Wednesday night during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Brentford in the Premier League.
The defender landed awkwardly on his left ankle after challenging for a header in the first half.
Mosquera was forced off before the break and scans have now confirmed that he is set for a spell on the sidelines.
“He’s going to be out for weeks,” said Arteta. “Unfortunately, it’s much more than what we expected, the way he was feeling. So, he’s going to be out for weeks.”
Mosquera was absent from the Arsenal squad on Saturday for their last-gasp 2-1 defeat away at Aston Villa.
The Gunners are also currently without fellow centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba, which has left Arteta short on defensive options.
Piero Hincapie is now Arsenal’s only fit senior centre-back and was partnered in the middle by usual right-back Jurrien Timber at Villa Park.
Academy player Marli Salmon, who only turned 16 in August, was drafted onto the bench as an emergency option in the heart of defence.
In a further blow to Arsenal defensively, Riccardo Calafiori picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Villa following a second-half foul on John McGinn.
The Italian international will now incur an automatic one-match domestic suspension, meaning he won’t be available for next weekend’s top-flight visit of rock-bottom Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.
He will be free to play in the Champions League on Wednesday night as Arsenal travel to face Club Brugge in Belgium, though there were suggestions on social media that Calafiori may have been limping after the game against Villa.
Myles Lewis-Skelly will be expected to fill in at left-back against Wolves.
Asked ahead of the Villa game if Calafiori being on four yellows impacted his lineup thinking or if it was more of an in-game dilemma, Arteta said: “Both. Especially against Brentford and especially with the situation that we had at the end of the game with the backline and the numbers that we have there.
“But it [Calafiori getting booked] didn't happen, so good news.”
