Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe's injury is a "disappointing" outcome for the north Londoners, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The £80,000 per-week man has been out for the last couple of games through injury and is now set to be on the sidelines for another month or so having suffered a setback.
What happened to Smith Rowe?
Smith Rowe has missed the last two games following a groin problem sustained in the defeat at Old Trafford last month.
But the Gunners were hoping the England international would be fit enough to return to action for their hectic October and November schedule.
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However, Arsenal confirmed on Thursday that Smith Rowe has been suffering from 'discomfort' in his groin and has since undergone surgery on the issue.
As a result, the 22-year-old has been ruled out of action until December, where he's expected to return to training.
But the injury could see Smith Rowe miss around 10 games in the Premier League and Europa League and Jones reckons it's a big blow for Arsenal, who failed to sign a wide player in the summer window.
What did Jones say about Smith Rowe?
He told GIVEMESPORT: "It's disappointing. Obviously Arsenal didn't get the wide player they wanted in the last transfer window and one of the things that would have given them some optimism would have been the fact that Smith Rowe was there ready to take his chance when it came, so to not have him available right now, that's the layer of depth that they're going to need to call upon."
How big of a loss is Smith Rowe?
Smith Rowe might not have started a Premier League game this season, but his absence could prove an issue for Arteta in the long run.
That's because the Gunners have 13 games before the World Cup starts in mid-November, meaning they'll need everyone fit and available.
They were already struggling out wide after failing to replace Nicolas Pepe, who left on loan in the summer, and Smith Rowe's injury means that Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are Arteta's only wingers at his disposal.
Fortunately for Arteta, Saka and Martinelli are both fit and contributing, but an injury to one of those in the coming weeks could leave the Arsenal boss with a serious problem on his hands.