Shkodran Mustafi Injury: Arsenal Defender Injures Hamstring vs. Stoke City

Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday's 3-1 win over Stoke City in the Premier League.

According to manager Arsene Wenger, the injury is a bad one, and the Germany international is expected to miss the busy festive period, per ESPN FC's Mattias Karen:

The German's injury means Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger must now call on one of Gabriel Paulista or Rob Holding to partner Laurent Koscielny at centre-back.

Per Mertesacker would perhaps be the obvious choice given his experience, but he's recovering from injury himself and is not expected back until the new year, as noted by Reuters (h/t the Daily Mail).

Even when the 32-year-old returns, though, his serious lack of pace will be a concern—his tendency to be left exposed has proved costly to the Gunners in the past.

Meanwhile, Paulista is more mobile but still yet to convince defensively, while Holding has started well for Arsenal but remains inexperienced.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

In recent years, the Gunners have found injuries to be a real problem—each season seems to carry at least one crisis, with several regulars forced to spend time on the sidelines, usually with the result of costing the team valuable points.

For one of their top summer recruits to have picked up an injury is unfortunate, particularly as he had formed quite the formidable partnership with Koscielny. The timing is particularly bad, with the busy festive period right around the corner.

If Arsenal are to sustain a title challenge and have any hope of progressing far in the UEFA Champions League, keeping the likes of Mustafi fit is critical.