Arsenal's Rob Holding to Undergo Knee Surgery, Out At Least 6-9 Months

Arsenal have said centre-back Rob Holding will be sidelined for "between six to nine months" after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Wednesday's 2-2 draw at Manchester United. 

Holding, 23, was stretchered off after a first-half challenge with United forward Marcus Rashford, and the Gunners confirmed the extent of his problem on Friday:

"Rob will undergo surgery to repair this in the coming days. The rehabilitation process is expected to take between six to nine months.
 
"Everyone at the club will now be working as hard as we can to ensure Rob is back on the pitch as soon as possible."

Holding joined Arsenal from Bolton Wanderers in 2016 and has shown promise at the Emirates Stadium, but manager Unai Emery's fears have been realised after the defender's campaign was confirmed to be over.

The Manchester native has excelled this season and appeared to be finding his feet in the first team under the Spaniard's guidance, impressing in the absence of the injured Laurent Koscielny.

As a result, Koscielny's return from a long-term injury of his own is all the more imperative for the north London club, particularly given the praise Holding has earned for his improvements:

Arsenal's defence hasn't been their strongest point this term despite adding Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Stephan Lichtsteiner to the squad in the summer, but Holding has featured as something of a bright spot.

He had started in 15 of his 16 appearances this season prior to suffering the injury, and his last full outing was in the 4-2 hammering of Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby:

Holding had also matched last season's total tally of Premier League starts (nine) this season, showing just how highly Emery rates the Englishman, who was signed by predecessor Arsene Wenger.

While Koscielny is still returning from an Achilles injury, Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi will be counted on to lead the defence until he's fully fit, while Nacho Monreal has also played as a central defender. 

Holding has embraced the Arsenal way of life, and WhoScored.com recently touched on how he fits into their passing template:

There's a chance the player could struggle to make the start of next season if his recovery is closer to the long forecast, whereas a return date of around June is to be expected if all goes to plan.

Arsenal's first test without Holding will be Saturday's home Premier League fixture against Huddersfield Town.