Arsenal midfielder, Thomas Partey is expected to sit out for the next five due to an injury, head coach of the side, Mikel Arteta has confirmed.
The 28-year-old has been a livewire for the Gunners in the ongoing Premier League campaign.
Partey was initially sidelined for a few weeks after sustaining a thigh injury during Arsenal's 3-0 loss at Crystal Palace last week.
"The news that we got after another assessment is that it's not looking very positive for his availability this season," Arteta told reporters before Arsenal travel to Southampton on Saturday. "At the moment, we're not very optimistic."
Losing Partey for the run-in is another setback for the club with left-back Kieran Tierney already ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury while right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu, who last played in January, also remains sidelined.
Arsenal have slipped below neighbors Tottenham Hotspur to fifth place after back-to-back defeats by Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion but have a game in hand over their north London rivals.
Arteta's side have eight league games remaining, starting with the trip to St Mary's Stadium, with Arsenal also taking on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and hosting Manchester United later this month.
"The moment is not ideal and we knew that towards the end of the season, one of the key elements was going to be to have the squad available as much as possible," Arteta said.
"We have a few issues with (Partey) and Tomiyasu but we have to continue to compete." Partey has so far made 26 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners.