Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says winger Bukayo Saka will miss “many weeks” with a hamstring injury.
The England striker was forced to leave on Saturday 5-1 win against Crystal Palace and leave Selhurst Park for hockey.
Saka, 23, has scored nine goals and provided 13 assists in 24 matches across all competitions this season.
“It doesn’t look good,” Arteta said. “He’s going to be out for weeks.
“It is what it is. He’s injured, we can’t change it. We’ll use this time now to help him.”
Arteta said he was “putting his mind together” to deal with Saka’s absence and Arsenal had the experience of coping without key players after losing captain Martin Odegaard to injury this season.
Asked if Saka had “torn” something in his hamstring, Arteta replied: “Yes. There are probably ways to prevent that injury.
“There’s a lot of things. We’re looking at everything and what we can do differently.”
Arteta said Saka was “tired” and “very emotional” after discovering the severity of his injury.
Asked if the packed fixture list played a role in Saka’s injury, Arteta replied: “It’s probably more of a concentration (of matches) as guys like Declan (Rice) and Bukayo have played over 130 games in three seasons.”
The Spanish coach also confirmed that Raheem Sterling is ready to stay out of the field after suffering a knee injury.
“He will be out for a week,” Arteta said. “He needs more tests tomorrow.”
The Gunners next face Ipswich at the Emirates Stadium in the league on 27 December (20:15 GMT).
