Arsenal star now ruled ‘out for weeks’ as Mikel Arteta highlights big ‘problem’

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Arsenal have been dealt yet another injury blow, as midfielder Fabio Vieira has now been ruled out for a few weeks.

The midfielder missed Saturday’s victory over Brentford as a result of his three-match ban following a red card against Burnley, but could have been available tonight in Arsenal’s Champions League clash with RC Lens.

However, the 23-year-old will not play a part against Lens, or indeed in any game for the next few weeks, as it has now emerged that he picked up an injury which required surgery.

Fabio Vieira picks up injury

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Mikel Arteta confirmed that Vieira is now set to miss the next few games.

“We’ve got a problem with him. He’s been having some discomfort,” he stated.

“He wasn’t improving and we sent him to a specialist, the advice was to have an operation which we did yesterday. We expect him to be out for weeks now.”

Vieira has made 14 appearances this season, but just three of them have come as a starter, and he has now been dealt a further setback in his development at Arsenal.

Is Fabio Vieira running out of time at Arsenal?

Although he started this season brightly, with his cameo appearance against Fulham a particular highlight, Vieira has had an inconsistent campaign since.

His red card against Burnley did him no favours, as it meant he was suspended for three league games in which he would have been hoping to feature.

Vieira is a player with clear creative talent, but he still appears very raw despite his big-money move from Porto last season, and given the position he plays in, he may struggle to build up consistency this season.

He is competing with Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and Emile Smith Rowe for a midfield spot, and with Arsenal aiming to sign another one in the January transfer window, his starting prospects for the rest of the season look slim.

Arsenal fans can see the potential in Vieira, and would likely not want him to leave given the money invested in him and the flashes of talent he has shown so far, but he now faces a tough battle to win a place in the side once he eventually returns from injury.

Arsenal have a somewhat favourable run of fixtures until mid-December, which could have provided ample opportunities for Vieira, and he will be frustrated that he could not kick on from his strong start to the campaign.