Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs out for four to five weeks, but Jack WIlshere steps up his rehabilitation

Arsenal full-back Kieran Gibbs will be sidelined for between four and five weeks after undergoing a hernia operation yesterday, manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed.

The problem came to light after the 22-year-old sustained a stomach injury in training a month ago, and he now looks set to be out of action until around Christmas.

Wenger told Arsenal's official website : "He has a hernia and had surgery on Thursday. He looks like he will be out for between four and five weeks.

"At first he had an abdominal strain, certainly caused by the fact that he had a hernia already.

"When the strain was healed we discovered that he had a hernia. We had a fear that could be behind it so we decided to do the surgery."

Gibbs' absence was not the only defensive blow for Wenger ahead of Saturday's Premier League game at Norwich City, with Carl Jenkinson suffering from a back problem.