Arsenal have confirmed that Mohamed Elneny is set for a spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on a "significant" knee injury.
The Egypt international has not featured for the Gunners since starting and scoring the opening goal in their 3-0 FA Cup third-round win over Oxford United on January 9.
Elneny - who has been a backup to Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka throughout the campaign - has since failed to make Mikel Arteta's squads for matches against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Manchester City after suffering what was initially only believed to be a knock.
However, there were fears that the former Basel man was at risk of missing the rest of the season, and Arsenal have now confirmed the worst, with Elneny recently undergoing an operation to address the serious problem.
The Gunners did not put a timeframe on Elneny's recovery, but there is a consensus that the 30-year-old - who is out of contract in the summer - will miss the remainder of the season.
"Following an injury sustained in a recent training session, subsequent assessments have confirmed that Mohamed Elneny has a significant injury to his right knee," a statement on arsenal.com.
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"Mo has had successful surgery in London and will be ruled out for an extended period of time. A more detailed timescale will be established once the early stages of rehabilitation have been completed.
"Everyone at the club will be offering Mo all the support he needs and working hard with him so he can return to action as soon as possible."
Elneny could have very well played his final game for Arsenal should he depart as a free agent in the summer, having amassed six goals and 10 assists in 155 games for the Gunners since 2016.
The Egyptian has only started one Premier League game in the 2022-23 season, but his injury has forced Arsenal into action on transfer deadline day as Arteta seeks to bolster his midfield options.
Having failed to make a breakthrough in talks with Brighton & Hove Albion over Moises Caicedo, Arsenal turned their attention to Chelsea's Jorginho and are now believed to have agreed a £12m deal for the Italian lynchpin.
Jorginho will join on an 18-month contract with an option to extend until 2025, and the 31-year-old is understood to have already completed his medical ahead of a deadline day announcement.
Despite Elneny's injury, Arsenal have supposedly given the green light to let Albert Sambi Lokonga join Crystal Palace on loan for the remainder of the season, leaving Jorginho, Partey and Xhaka as Arteta's senior midfield options.
Ben Knapton
