Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac will be sidelined for up to 10 weeks with a knee injury sustained in Wednesday’s friendly win over Chelsea.
The left-back was withdrawn 20 minutes from full time in Dublin and is expected to be unavailable until October.
He could miss as many as eight Premier League games and two Europa League fixtures, with the Gunners setting a minimum recovery timeframe of eight weeks.
Kolasinac’s setback comes just over a week out from the club’s season opener at home to Manchester City on August 12.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina full-back hurt his knee in a challenge with Victor Moses and Gunners boss Unai Emery said he would have a scan.
Kolasinac is expected to miss up to eight Premier League games.
The former Schalke player is also likely to be absent for two Europa League group matches and the third round of the Carabao Cup. On 6 June 2017, 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 is regarded as a versatile defender who can slot into all defensive positions as needed. At Schalke 04 II he was deployed mostly as a centre back or defensive midfielder. Schalke 04 head coach Jens Keller used Kolašinac mainly as a left back, a position in which Kolašinac has distinguished himself. Physically strong and tactically clever, he consistently wins one-on-one duels against his opponents.
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.