Abou Diaby has been hit with yet another injury.
The France international joined Arsenal in January 2006, having impressed for his country at under-21 level and also for Auxerre. Billed as the next Patrick Vieira, the £2million signing was expected to become a big star for the Emirates Stadium club.
However, the 26-year-old has been prevented from establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in the country by a string of injury problems, the latest being a cruciate ligament tear which is set to keep him out of contention for up to nine months.
A statement read: “Following consultations with specialists, Abou will undergo surgery to repair the injury in the near future. Abou is expected to be out for around eight to nine months. The thoughts and best wishes from everyone at Arsenal are with Abou, and we all wish him a successful recovery.”
At the end of his first season in England, Diaby broke his ankle following a challenge from Sunderland’s Dan Smith which required three operations and resulted in an eight month layoff. A thigh injury towards the end of the next campaign saw him sidelined for a further five months, and last season, he was only able to make five appearances due to more setbacks.
Diaby started the current season in impressive form, until he suffered another thigh injury in the defeat to Chelsea back in September which ruled him out until January. And now, after more spells in the treatment room, he is unlikely to feature until the early stages of next year, meaning he will also miss the remainder of Les Bleus’ World Cup qualifying campaign.
