Kai Havertz could move to the Arsenal right wing following the injury blow to Bukayo Saka.
Saka injured his hamstring on Saturday during the Gunners’ 5-1 win at Crystal Palace and was substituted after just 24 minutes of play.
talkSPORT understands that the 23-year-old is set to be ruled out until February in what is a huge blow for Arsenal.
Head coach Mikel Arteta spoke to the media ahead of their trip to Ipswich Town on Friday and offered an update on his star winger.
“It’s not looking good. He’s going to be out for many weeks.”
However, Arteta also said: “I’m very optimistic he’ll be back before the end of the season.”
Saka has started on the right wing in all but one of their 17 Premier League matches this season, scoring five goals and assisting ten.
Raheem Sterling, who is on loan from Chelsea, can also play there but he too is set for a spell on the sidelines through injury.
Arteta will therefore have to make alternative right wing selections in their upcoming games, with Havertz a possible option for him.
“Gabi [Martinelli] has played there, Ethan [Nwaneri] has played there, Leo [Trossard] can play there in relation to how the unit moves.
“Kai can play there. We will talk to them and understand how they feel about it.”
Havertz is no stranger to playing on the right wing given how versatile he is in the attacking positions.
The German international played in that role during his stints at Bayer Leverkusen and Chelsea, although infrequently at the latter.
However, he is yet to have featured there for Arsenal and has instead been more accustomed to playing as a striker or attacking midfielder.
Arsenal faced a number of injury issues this season before Saka and Sterling became the latest absentees for the north London side.
Ben White has been out since November with a knee injury and looks set to remain so for another few months.
Fellow defenders including Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori have also been dealt issues.
When asked if Arsenal could operate in the January transfer window to deal with their injuries, Arteta said: “Yes, the preparation is done and we are ready if something happens.
“Obviously we didn’t predict a situation with Bukayo and Raheem. At the same time we predicted if something happened, for example in the defensive line.
“But the job is done and then, OK, if something has to happen we’ll be open. But the main focus is now how to unlock the potential that is in this squad.”