Arsenal’s Robin van Persie is set to be out of action for up to six weeks after partially rupturing ankle ligaments while on international duty.
The Dutch forward was carried off 10 minutes into his country’s friendly against Italy on Saturday.
The 26-year-old has been told he will not require surgery.
“The prognosis is that I will be out for four to six weeks,” Van Persie told Dutch television station NOS.
A Dutch Football Association (KNVB) official told BBC Sport that Van Persie had a partially ruptured ligament.
“It’s a serious injury,” the KNVB official said, following concerns that Van Persie had broken his ankle. “We don’t know how long it will take him to recover from it.
“It’s impossible to put an exact timeframe on it because some players heal more quickly than others. It’s not a short-term injury.”
Van Persie has started all of Arsenal’s Premier League games this season and is their second-highest scorer with eight goals along with eight assists.
His absence leaves the Gunners short in attack, with Nicklas Bendtner out until mid-December following minor groin surgery and Theo Walcott nursing a knee ligament problem.
