Will Arsenal make it without Rob Holding?
Arsenal has today has today confirmed that their defender, Rob Holding’s knee injury will see him miss the rest of the season as he will be out of the pitch for 6-9 months after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during the match against Manchester United on Wednesday.
The Arsenal defender will undergo surgery in the coming days and will begin a rehabilitation programme expected to take between six and nine months. The football club further said that everyone at the club will now be working as hard as we can to ensure Rob is back on the pitch as soon as possible.
Holding’s injury could see Arsenal enter the transfer market for a replacement, particularly given Unai Emery has switched to a back-three in recent weeks.
The news comes at a time when Holding was emerging as a serious candidate to break into Gareth Southgate’s England squad. The Arsenal defender had moved firmly onto Southgate’s radar in recent weeks following a string of excellent displays in Emery side’s 20 match unbeaten run.
Arsenal are also after a new forward in January with Danny Welbeck likely to miss the rest of the season.
The serious knee injury sustained by the central defender in the 2-2 draw at Manchester United on Wednesday has dealt a huge blow to Holding’s international hopes. England medics will ask to be kept updated on Holding’s recovery.
The news is a concern for Arsenal going into the busy Christmas period, and leaves Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis as their only two fit senior centre-backs.
Who do you think will replace Holding as the new Arsenal defender?