Arsenal has officially confirmed that Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck would be out for a period of months after undergoing knee surgery.

The 24-year-old England forward’s left knee was operated on after it was established that he could not step up his rehabilitation work.

A statement on Arsenal’s official website said:

“It had been hoped he would avoid surgery, but after increasing his training workload, the injury to his cartilage did not respond as well as hoped and the decision was taken last week for him to undergo surgery by a leading specialist in the field.

“Danny is now expected to be out for a period of months and everyone at Arsenal wishes him well.”

Even at the best of times, Arsenal fans are not the calmest, most rational bunch.

This is not the best of times.

Combustible Gooners were already enraged by the club’s failure to sign a single outfield player during the transfer window – so much so that they even tried to organise a (massively pointless) protest on Deadline Day.

Given their apparent shortage of big-name strikers, the news that Danny Welbeck would be out “for months” with a knee injury had made gutted Gunners fans even more gloomy.