Francis Coquelin Injury: Arsenal Midfielder Injures Hamstring vs. Bournemouth

Arsenal have been dealt a major blow after midfielder Francis Coquelin picked up a hamstring injury during Tuesday's match against Bournemouth.

Arsenal revealed the nature of the Frenchman's problem, which forced him to leave the match in the 28th minute after the Gunners fell behind, 2-0:

The extent of the injury or a timetable for a possible return has not been disclosed yet. 

Coquelin is one of manager Arsene Wenger's key midfielders and has started 15 of Arsenal's 17 Premier League games so far in 2016-17, including Tuesday's match, per WhoScored.com.

Alongside Santi Cazorla, the 25-year-old forms an effective and versatile deep-lying midfield two in the Arsenal engine room that is key to the Gunners' success.

There is plenty of cover for Coquelin in Wenger's squad, with Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka all able to play in the defensive-midfield role.

Mohamed Elneny will be unavailable for Arsenal's upcoming matches against Preston North End, Swansea City and Burnley due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations for Egypt, per Uche Amako of the Express.

However, the Frenchman is arguably the best option for the job in the Arsenal squad, with his combative style vital to the north London outfit's play.

As a result, Wenger will hope to see Coquelin return to action as soon as possible as Arsenal look to stay relevant in the title race.