Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny taken to hospital with suspected broken jaw

January 26, 2019 By Ali M.

Topics: Laurent Kocielny, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Arsenal, English Premier League

Sokratis was also forced to leave the pitch after rolling his ankle, adding to the Gunners' defensive woes.

Things have just gone from bad to worse for Arsenal's defense. After losing a few key men at the back-four for the rest of the season, Unai Emery had to watch Laurent Koscielny pick up an injury in the FA Cup.

The French center-back started in the Gunners clash with Man United, which ended in a disappointing 3-1 loss. Not only was the north London outfit knocked out in the fourth round on their home ground, but the team lost their captain to a nasty injury.

The 33-year-old unfortunately took a boot to the face in a collision with Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian forward accidentally kicked the Frenchman's head, leaving the defender in visible pain.

Koscielny was attended to by the medical staff before being replaced by Mesut Ozil. Speaking after the game, Unai Emery admitted that his skipper might have suffered a broken jaw and was thus taken to hospital.

"Maybe Laurent Koscielny is going to hospital to [analyze] what injury he has. Maybe he's broken [his cheek or jaw] but I hope not," the Spanish tactician said as per the club's official website.

Prior to Koscielny's injury, Sokratis appeared to roll his ankle and was thus forced to leave the pitch. However, Emery offered optimism over the Greek defender's situation, saying: "I think they weren't big injuries for Sokratis [his ankle]."

Arsenal fans would not want to see the two aforementioned center-backs be sidelined given the club's current crisis. The Emirates Stadium's already leaky back-four has been rocked by long-term injuries to Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin.

Both the Englishman and Spaniard will play no part in the remainder of the current campaign after rupturing their anterior cruciate ligaments. Should Koscielny and Sokratis be forced to sit out their upcoming clash with Cardiff in the Premier League, Emery will be left with Mustafi as his only natural center-back.