Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny ruled out of Hull clash with achilles injury

Laurent Koscielny is out of the weekend clash against Hull City leaving Arsenal with a major defensive crisis.

Koscielny is suffering with an achilles injury and will join Mathieu Debuchy on the sidelines.

The Gunners are already short of defensive cover and Koscielny's absence is a big blow.

'He has an achilles problem, which has got worse,' said Wenger. 'He finds it difficult to play with it at the moment.

'You can only trust what the players says, he does not feel ready to play and will not play on Saturday.

'An inflammation of an achilles tendon, if you wait for it to be better, it can be a short time.

'If you want to get rid of it completely, it is long term. We will monitor him and as soon as he can take enough pain again he will play.'

Asked if Koscielny needed surgery, Wenger added: 'No. We have scanned him, there is no real deterioration of his achilles at all.

'It is just the pain of the inflammation.'

With Debuchy and Koscielny both out Wenger must make a decision whether to move Calum Chambers to centre back and bring in Hector Bellerin at right back, or he can play left back Nacho Monreal out of position alongside Per Mertesacker in the centre.


Credit: Sami Mokbel/SportsMail