London: Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen will be out for up to six weeks after undergoing surgery on his injured Achilles tendon, his father has revealed.
The player is likely to miss Arsenal's opening two Champions League fixtures and the Premier League match against rivals Tottenham.
Vermaelen's father said that the defender had flown to Sweden to have the surgery on his left ankle.
"The doctor in Stockholm, where Thomas was operated on last time too, recognised the problem now," he told Belgian website Sporza.
"He would not take any chances and immediately operated on Thomas. He expects five to six weeks of unavailability."
The club's official website has stated that the player has undergone a "minor procedure," and will be back to full training within a month
Vermaelen suffered the injury in the Champions League qualifier against Udinese two weeks ago. The club initially hoped that the injury would not require surgery, but they will now face important matches without the experienced centre-back.
The former Ajax defender suffered a similar knock at the beginning of last season to his right ankle, and though this injury is thought not to be as serious, there will be fears from many given that Vermaelen was initially diagnosed with a short-term injury and eventually missed eight months of the season.
The Belgian has been a key player for Arsenal since joining from Ajax, but now it seems new recruit Per Mertesacker will have to adapt quickly to life at the Emirates, having joined last week.
The German arrived for £8 million on deadline day of the transfer window, and while he is considerably experienced with 75 caps for Germany it will be a strong test to adapt to the Premier League quickly, with Arsenal having conceded 11 goals so far this season with one point to their name.
Comments
0 comment