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London - Arsenal defender Mathieu Debuchy is set to be out of action for approximately three months following surgery on his left ankle, manager Arsene Wenger has announced on Monday.
The France international suffered the injury after falling awkwardly Arsenal's 2-2 Premier League draw at home to champions Manchester City on September 13.
Following time for the injury to settle, consultation with a specialist on Friday confirmed the need for an operation and 29-year-old full-back Debuchy, a £12 million pre-season signing from Newcastle, has since undergone surgery.
"He has had surgery and will be out for three months," Wenger told Arsenal.com. "A reasonable delay is three months.
"It all went well, but it can be a week or two earlier or a week or two later, but it will be around three months," the veteran French manager added.
"It is a blow of course, how big it will be we will only know afterwards because it will be down to how well we replace him. We bought (Calum) Chambers for that."
In Debuchy's absence, Arsenal won 3-0 away to Aston Villa on Saturday, a result that helped leave the north London club fourth in the Premier League table -- four points behind leaders and capital rivals Chelsea.
