Arsenal have been dealt a major blow after Olivier Giroud was ruled out for six weeks, according to reports in France.
Giroud, 31, was handed a start in the Gunners’ 1-0 victory over West Ham on Tuesday evening, but the striker was forced off in the 78th minute of the Carabao Cup quarter-final with a hamstring injury.
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While Arsene Wenger hoped Giroud would only miss three weeks of action after the Emirates clash, scans on the muscle tear have revealed that the problem is even worse than originally feared.
French outlet L’Equipe suggest the France forward will be out until February with the hamstring problem which will be a worry for Wenger ahead of a busy winter schedule.
It’s claimed Giroud could miss as many as ten games for Arsenal and any hopes of securing a move away from north London are in tatters.
This week, Giroud’s agent Michael Manuello ruled out a return to Marseille, but hinted that his client could still be on the move.
He said: ‘It can make things complicated, but a clash, that kind of thing is not in Olivier’s nature, nor in mine.
‘Now, depending on the offers, we will sit around a table and talk. The most important thing is to know what will be offered or not this winter, to find a better project.
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‘There will be approaches. All clubs looking for an attacker are likely to come. We must be careful and if there is something obvious that will appear, we will try to convince Arsene Wenger to return to what has been said.
‘Olivier will not come back to France. Unless there is a change in his state of mind, to date the intention is not to return to France.
‘There has been no new approach from Marseille. I have no information that Marseille was trying to contact us.’
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