Arsenal confirm Hector Bellerin has ruptured ACL

Bellerin was stretchered off during the win over Chelsea over the weekend

Hector Bellerin could be out of action for up to nine months after Arsenal confirmed the full-back has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The Spaniard left the field on a stretcher during Arsenal's 2-0 win at home to Chelsea at the weekend, with reports soon after claiming club doctors suspected the injury was enough to end his season. Following a scan on the joint, a club statement has confirmed that Bellerin will face a lengthy spell on the sidelines. He will undergo surgery in the near future and is expected to return to action next season. The statement said: '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. '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.' https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1087666423671992321 In the same statement, Arsenal also confirmed that Henrikh Mkhitaryan had returned to training following an injury to his right foot. Rob Holding (knee) and Danny Welbeck (ankle) are long-term absentees.