Danny Welbeck Faces Long Time out as Unai Emery Confirms Surgery on Ankle Break

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has confirmed striker Danny Welbeck will be sidelined for "a long time" after undergoing surgery on the ankle he broke against Sporting CP in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday. 

Welbeck started in Emery's Europa League squad but was stretchered off after 30 minutes following a clash with a defender. Emery addressed the media on Sunday and confirmed the extent of his blow: "The ankle is broken. We will be without him for a long time."

The Gunners stumbled at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday and could have used another attacking option as they came back from a goal down to clinch a 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

According to the report, Arsenal are hoping for a more accurate timeframe this week, and Welbeck could require a second procedure to fully rectify the injury.

Welbeck's right ankle was caught in the ground and twisted the wrong way as he challenged Bruno Gaspar for a cross in the Sporting box. His team-mates looked to be affected by the incident, and the two teams eventually ran to a 0-0 stalemate in north London.

The England forward has been in good form and scored five goals in his 14 appearances this season. Charles Watts of Football.London posted Welbeck's reaction to his injury:

Welbeck, who turns 28 this month, had been seeking a fresh start under new manager Emery and has shown improved form despite remaining Arsenal's bench option for most of this term.

He boasted two goals in four Europa League games prior to his injury, and his tally of five this season is already half the 10 he scored in all of 2017-18. Last season was the first time in four years he's ended a campaign with double-digit goals.

Emery has seen shades of the class Welbeck possesses, such as the 1-0 winner he scored in Lisbon in October, and he's averaging one goal every 121 minutes this season, per Transfermarkt. To compare, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is averaging one strike every 119 minutes this season.

The former Manchester United man has shown some fine promise under the new manager, and Arsenal's stars were eager to share their well wishes for the Englishman on Thursday:

Welbeck previously missed large portions of the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons due to successive knee injuries. He battled back on both occasions and now faces another huge setback.

Alexandre Lacazette and Aubameyang will be more strained in attack without him to provide cover, although Alex Iwobi is one option Emery could convert into a more attacking asset during his recovery.