Arsenal defender William Gallas has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a medial knee ligament injury, Gunners manager Arsene Wenger confirmed on Thursday.
Gallas suffered the injury during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Villarreal in the Champions League quarter-final first leg in Spain on Tuesday.
Losing the experienced France centre-back at such a crucial stage of the campaign is a major blow to Wenger.
His side are bidding to hold onto fourth place in the Premier League as well as aiming to finish off Villarreal next Wednesday to earn a semi-final against Manchester United or Porto.
The north London club also face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on April 18.
Wenger is likely to use Swiss defender Johan Djourou as Gallas’s replacement.
As if that wasn’t bad enough for Wenger, he will also be without Manuel Almunia for three weeks after the goalkeeper suffered an ankle injury that forced him to limp off against Villarreal.
French left-back Gael Clichy will miss two weeks with a back injury, while Robin van Persie and Eduardo will undergo fitness tests on Friday before Saturday’s Premier League match at Wigan.
