• Premier League

Koscielny out for another month

Arsenal will have to do without defender Laurent Koscielny for another three or four weeks due to a lingering achilles injury.

The central defender has been out for a month already and is still working his way back. Arsene Wenger has said recently that the French international has "a little chance of returning after the international break", but has since said he is still not running and will be eased back into light training in the coming weeks.

There is no chance he will be available for Sunday's away match with Swansea.

Initial reports had Koscielny back for Arsenal's November 22 match with Manchester United, but that has been pushed back as well.

"He has not started running outside so you cannot think he will be available in two weeks' time," Wenger said. "Then, you have to see how he responds to going outside and running. He is not there yet anyway. He cannot run. He will not be available for three or four weeks."

That doesn't bode well for an Arsenal side that had a defensive meltdown during their last Champions League match, surrendering a three-goal lead to end their match with Anderlecht in a 3-3 draw.

The last time Koscielny lined up for Arsenal was their October 5 meeting with Chelsea.

After that, he was ready to play for France in a round of international friendlies against Portugal and Armenia, but the country's team doctors sent him back to London saying a chronic tendonitis condition persisted and he should not play.

Wenger insists surgery won't be necessary.

"It's just inflammation - too much French salami," Wenger joked, before adding: "He won't need surgery. His achilles on the scans are quite good. He could not go on, so we had no choice."

This only adds to a long list of injuries for Arsenal, including Giroud (foot), Mesut Ozil (knee), Yaya Sanogo (hamstring), Mathieu Debuchy (ankle), David Ospina (thigh) and Abou Diaby (calf) who will all be out for the upcoming match vs. Swansea City.

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