Diaby season over

Abou Diaby will be out for up to nine months after tearing a cruciate ligament.



A statement on the Arsenal website confirmed the midfielder, who has a long history of injury problems, damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in training on Wednesday.

The 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."

Diaby's latest injury means another long spell out of the game for a player who has been beset by problems since his ankle was broken in a challenge from Sunderland's Dan Smith in May 2006.

The France international was restricted to just five appearances last season, and a promising start to the current campaign was ruined by a thigh injury suffered against Chelsea in September.

Speaking in November about Diaby's ongoing problems, Arsene Wenger said: "I can tell you he has been everywhere in the world to be assessed. There is an explanation.



"He is quick, strong, has good stamina but his muscle strength is not good enough to deal with that. Sometimes little fibres go in his muscles, this is basically his problem.

"The second reason for his problems, of course, is his ankle. Since Sunderland, his mobility in his ankle has been affected."

Wenger not worried about Diaby

Arsene Wenger has played down the seriousness over Abou Diaby's latest injury, claiming the midfielder could even be fit for Arsenal's Barclays Premier League game against Southampton this weekend.



Diaby, who spent almost the whole of last season on the sidelines, hurt his hip after scoring the winner in France's 1-0 victory in Finland on Friday.



The 26-year-old missed his country's win over Belarus on Tuesday as a result, but Gunners boss Wenger told TF1: "He has slight pain on the hip, on the sartorius muscle. It doesn't seem serious at all to me. He even has a small chance to play on Saturday."



Diaby has begun the season in fine form and reports in France suggest he will miss Arsenal's game on Saturday game but return in time for Tuesday's opening Champions League clash against Montpellier.

Diaby in doubt for Belarus

Midfielder Abou Diaby is doubtful for France's World Cup qualifier against Belarus on Tuesday, according to coach Didier Deschamps.



France beat Finland 1-0 in their opening qualifier on Friday, with Arsenal man Diaby scoring the winner in an impressive performance.



However, national team coach Deschamps has raised concerns about the 26-year-old's fitness after the fixture.



The 43-year-old has now indicated the former Auxerre man is also struggling from a knock and is unlikely to recover in time to feature against Belarus at the Stade de France.



Deschamps told reporters: "It will be difficult for him to be available for tomorrow's game.



"He took a bad knock and felt a muscle discomfort. He knows himself and maybe a little more than everyone (if he is fit).



"Before considering whether he has recovered from the injury to take the field, we should not have any concerns on the massage table."



Diaby's return to the national side came after an impressive display for Arsene Wenger's men in a 2-0 win over Liverpool, after he managed just four substitute appearances in the English Premier League during an injury-riddled 2011/12 season.