Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed Arsenal’s defeat to Southampton on Saturday.

The Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat to the Saints in the fourth round of the FA Cup at St Mary’s.

Aubameyang missed the game due to personal reasons, withdrawing from the squad in the build-up to the encounter with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men.

No more information has been revealed about his absence.

But it seems that it could be a continuing thing, with Mikel Arteta now revealing that he simply doesn’t know when he will be back in action.

Arsenal are back in action in midweek against the Saints, again, this time in the Premier League.

But Arteta says the Gabon international, who has scored five goals in 17 Premier League games this season, may not be available.

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Speaking after the game, quoted by the London Evening Standard, he said: “I don’t know. He needs to address that issue, we’ll see how it evolves.

“We’re here and we have to support him and he needs to take the time that is needed because that is a priority at the moment.”

GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…

This is a real blow for Arsenal.

They were blunted against Hasenhuttl’s men on Saturday, as they failed to find a way through, and couldn’t carve out enough opportunities to hit the back of the net.

It has seen them dumped out of the cup they won last season, and it could have an effect on their chances of climbing the Premier League table too.

Having beaten them this weekend, Saints will be confident of a result in midweek; even more so without Aubameyang.