Hleb blow adds to Wenger's woes

Arsenal's injury crisis has got even worse today after it was revealed that midfielder Alexander Hleb needs surgery on a knee injury.

The 24-year-old picked up an injury while on international duty with Belarus and is facing up to eight weeks on the sidelines.The summer signing from VfB Stuttgart joins Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and Gilberto on the sidelines. However, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger dismissed talk of a crisis.

"Hleb will be out for six to eight weeks," He said."He is due to have surgery on his knee on Friday."

He added: "I can’t remember having injuries like this before but it’s not a crisis. "We have lost many players over the break when we should have come back refreshed," said Wenger.

"For some it is a question of days, and others - like Ashley Cole and Hleb - it is a matter of six to eight weeks."