Henrikh Mkhitaryan may be out for the season

According to the Telegraph’s Jeremy Wilson, Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is set to miss the remainder of the season following a knee ligament injury suffered during their Europa League victory over CSKA Moscow.

Mkhitaryan’s absence will leave Arsène Wenger short of creative options, with lesser-talented players such as Jack Wilshere and Alex Iwobi figuring to be more of a direct replacement within the team’s current setup, and Mohamed Elneny and Danny Welbeck being available if Wenger decides to compensate Mkhitaryan’s absence with a different formation.

The boost Mkhitaryan brought to Arsenal since his move from Manchester United in January has helped shoulder the burden for Mesut Ozil to distribute from both a central and wide position, and Mkhitaryan’s movement behind the forwards has contributed to Aaron Ramsey’s strength in exploiting space defenders have left while tracking the Armenian.

This comes at a time when Arsenal will need to maintain their advantage heading into the return leg at Moscow next week, and if the Gunners are to advance they’ll need to figure out how to change their approach against stronger sides as they look to capture the Europa League title without a valuable squad member - and its vital Champions League qualification next season.