“Unfortunately he has had surgery and we have lost him for a while,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “How long I don’t know. He had reconstruction of his ligaments. So it will be long term.”
Mertesacker suffered the injury in the second half of Saturday ‘s 2-1 win over Sunderland. He fell awkwardly as he was turning, which gifted Sunderland the game’s opening goal.
It was initially feared that he would miss up to a month of action, but German national team doctors confirmed the Gunners’ worst fears.
He underwent surgery to reconstruct the ligaments in his right ankle. He suffered the same injury last season while he was playing with German club Werder Bremen.
The will likely keep Mertesacker out for the rest of the season, and casts doubt on his participation in this summer’s European Championship. He is a longtime starter at the center of defense for Germany. The Germans are one of the favorites to win the competition.
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