Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger remains hopeful that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's latest injury setback will not keep him out of action for the long term.
The England international has been suffering from inflammation of the groin, which has come as a result of the hamstring injury that has seen him sidelined for the past month.
Wenger has now revealed that the midfielder will not be available for the FA Cup semi-final meeting against Reading, while there is a concern that he may need an operation to solve the problem should it not clear up by itself.
"Alex is not available for the next two weeks at least," the Frenchman is quoted as saying by The Telegraph. "He will not be available for the semi-final of the FA Cup. Not this week, not next week.
"It is taking a bit longer than I thought because he has a groin inflammation. It is related to everything before. I hope it does not become a long-term problem, but he faces a hurdle this week in training.
"We will see if he has recovered well, so the end of this week and the start of next week are important – to see if he got rid of that inflammation. It is not his hamstring any more. It is groin inflammation."
There is some good news for Arsenal, however, as Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby should all be available for selection ahead of this weekend's trip to take on Burnley.
Daniel Lewis
