Arsenal full-back Sead Kolasinac will be out for up to ten weeks after limping off during their pre-season encounter with Chelsea, the club have confirmed.
The 25-year-old, who was helped off the pitch in Dublin as the Gunners beat their London rivals on penalties following a 1-1 draw, clashed with Victor Moses and was due to undergo a scan on Thursday.
In an injury update the north London club revealed he would be kept out for between eight and ten weeks due to the problem with his left knee.
Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who also has the issue of a new deal hanging over his head, withdrew from the game against Maurizio Sarri’s side due to a tight calf, and is ‘aiming; to return to training next week.
The Gunners begin their Premier League campaign at home next weekend as champions Manchester City visit, before travelling to Chelsea for their first away game of the season.
Kolašinac began his career in his hometown club, Karlsruher SC. After eight years of playing for Kalsruhe, Kolašinac joined 1899 Hoffenheim, where he played a season before transferring to VfB Stuttgart. A season later, he joined Schalke 04.
After one season with the youth team, Kolašinac was promoted to the second team, Schalke 04 II, in one of the German lower leagues, Regionalliga West. After scoring two goals in seven matches, he was promoted to the first team. On 15 September 2012, he made his Bundesliga debut in a 2–0 win over Greuther Fürth. In December 2012, he played in his first game in European competitions, a 1–1 draw against Montpellier, in the UEFA Champions League.
In June 2013 Kolašinac extended his contract with Schalke to June 2017.At the beginning of the following season Kolašinac tore the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee and was out for approximately six months.
Kolašinac scored his first goal for Schalke 04 on 13 December 2015, in a 1–1 draw against FC Augsburg.
In May 2017, Kolašinac made the decision not to renew his contract with Schalke 04, thus ending his six-year spell at German club.At the end of the 2016–17 season, he was voted in the Bundesliga Team of the Season.
On 6 June 2017, Premier League club Arsenal confirmed the signing of Kolašinac on a free transfer, pending the “completion of all regulatory processes.” Kolašinac scored on his debut against Chelsea in the 2017 FA Community Shield, which Arsenal won on penalties. He made his Premier League debut on the opening day, providing an assist in a 4–3 win over Leicester City.
For his performances in August, he was voted as Arsenal’s Player of the Month, earning more than half of the votes. On 14 September, Kolašinac scored on his UEFA Europa League debut against 1. FC Köln, which Arsenal won 3–1. He scored his first goal in Premier League on 28 October against Swansea City, and also provided an assist for his team’s other goal in a 2–1 victory. Kolašinac was once again voted as Arsenal’s Player of the Month, in October, earning half of the votes.
Kolašinac has a German passport and after playing on various youth levels for Germany, he switched allegiance to his parents’ homeland Bosnia and Herzegovina and received a call-up for the country’s senior national team in 2013. His father stated in an interview that was always the player’s first choice to play for the Bosnian national team.
On 18 November 2013, Kolašinac made his debut for Bosnia in a 2–0 friendly loss against Argentina. He was named in Bosnia’s squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the third minute of the team’s opening group match, Kolašinac scored an unfortunate own goal, the fastest in World Cup history, as Argentina ran out 2–1 winners at the Maracanã Stadium.