Hector Bellerin Ruled Out By Injury For Up To Nine Months

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin will miss the rest of the season after scans confirmed he has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.

The 23-year-old Spain right-back was stretchered off in the 72nd minute of Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The defender is expected to be out for between six and nine months.

The injury occurred in his first start for five weeks after picking up a calf injury against Southampton in December.

Arsenal revealed the severity of Bellerin’s injury on Tuesday morning with a statement on their website.

“Further to the injury sustained during our match against Chelsea on Saturday, we can confirm that Hector has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee,” it read.

“Hector will undergo surgery to repair this in the coming days. The rehabilitation process is expected to take between six to nine months and therefore rules Hector out of action for the remainder of this season.

“Everyone at the club will now be working as hard as we can to ensure Hector is back on the pitch as soon as possible next season.”