Arsenal: Henrikh Mkhitaryan injury must be seen as something else

Henrikh Mkhitaryan could be out for several weeks with a knee problem. Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, however, must see it as something else: An opportunity for others.

Injuries are never nice. Before I say anything, I want to preface it with that statement. As someone who has had a mire of injury problems, seeing others injured never makes me happy. That said, that does not make them obsolete or solely negative. They can, out of a bad situation, bring good. Mathieu Debuchy, Hector Bellerin and the Arsenal right-back situation is a prime example.

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It is in this context that Henrikh Mkhitaryan is undergoing several scans and tests to determine the extent of his knee problem that forced him to hobble off against CSKA Moscow on Thursday night.

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While the details of the injury are yet to be announced, it’s fair to say that the initial signals do not look especially bright. Arsene Wenger immediately ruled him out of this Sunday’s against Southampton and was not much more positive about his long-term prospects.

This what he said to media prior to this weekend’s clash against the Saints:

"“Micki came off and he will be out for Sunday. He has a scan and the fear is that his medial knee ligament has been touched. We’ll know more about that soon. For how long he will be out, I don’t know.”"

Without any clear details, it is difficult to provide an accurate analysis of the situation. However, there is one thing that Arsenal and Wenger need to do for however long the period is that Mkhitaryan is out: They must use it as an opportunity for others.

This is an especially pertinent point given that the seven remaining Premier League games do not have much impact on the campaign given that the top four is now unattainable. That provides Wenger with double the motivation to throw some of the depth and younger members of his squad into the first team.

Someone like Alex Iwobi, for instance, who was considered a starting player earlier in the year and last season, could benefit greatly from a run of games in the team without much pressure on the result. The injury to Mkhitaryan, however nasty, is the perfect opportunity for Wenger to give Iwobi those games.

Similarly, he could now experiment with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the left flank and Alexandre Lacazette through the middle. Or he could provide more minutes for Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah, both of whom have been baying for them for some time.

Next: Arsenal Vs Southampton: Predicted starting XI

The Mkhitaryan injury, then, is not nice. It does not help. But Arsenal and Wenger must see it as something else. They must see it as a chance, a chance to risk, to provide, to experiment and to grow.