Gunners confirm Vermaelen absence

Published Sep. 6, 2011 7:15 p.m. ET

foxsports

Vermaelen went under the knife in Stockholm on Monday after suffering the injury in the Gunners' 2-1 win over Udinese on August 24. The Belgium defender, who missed eight months of last season with an Achilles injury on his right foot, will miss the north London derby at Tottenham on October 2 and the club's first two Champions League group stage matches. While losing Vermaelen for such crucial games is a blow for the Gunners, manager Arsene Wenger will be pleased that his star defender is not out for longer. Some reports on Tuesday morning had suggested Vermaelen would be out for two months, but the club have played down that speculation. An Arsenal statement read: "Thomas Vermaelen is expected to be back in training with the first-team squad in around a month. "Vermaelen has undergone a minor procedure to remove an inflamed plantaris tendon from his left ankle. "This is the same treatment that he had on his right ankle in January this year and has nothing to do with his Achilles tendon. "The action was taken after consultation with specialists who advised this was the best thing to do to prevent it becoming a persistent problem." Vermaelen missed the Gunners' 8-2 mauling at Manchester United nine days ago but has otherwise been an ever-present at the heart of Wenger's defence this term. Per Mertesacker, who signed just before the transfer window shut last week, is now likely to have to step up to fill Vermaelen's place in the team over the next two months. The German, who arrived at Arsenal from Werder Bremen for £8million, also has competition from Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou and Sebastien Squillaci at centre-back. The north London club have conceded 11 goals so far this season and currently sit fourth from bottom of the Premier League table with one point.