London - Arsenal fear Robin van Persie will not return until the final weeks of the season after announcing the striker will undergo ankle surgery that will sideline him for up to five months.
The Netherlands forward had been expected to return to action within six weeks after the original diagnosis earlier this month that he tore ankle ligaments in a challenge during an international friendly against Italy.
But Arsenal said Saturday that a new scan revealed the damage to be more severe, with three of the four ligaments ruptured in the right ankle.
Van Persie will undergo surgery next week in Amsterdam to reconstruct the ligaments.
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