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Arsenal's Ainsley Maitland-Niles out for up to eight weeks after leg fracture

Ainsley Maitland-Niles lies injured at the Emirates Stadium during Sunday's Premier League match against Manchester City
Image: Ainsley Maitland-Niles suffered the injury in Arsenal's opening Premier League game against Manchester City

Ainsley Maitland-Niles will be out for between six to eight weeks after fracturing his left fibula, Arsenal have confirmed.

The 20-year-old started at left-back in Unai Emery's first Premier League game in charge, but was substituted with an injury just 35 minutes in to the 2-0 home defeat to defending champions Manchester City on Sunday.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles in action during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on August 12, 2018
Image: Ainsley Maitland-Niles has a small fracture to his left fibula

Fellow defenders Laurent Koscielny, Carl Jenkinson and Sead Kolasinac all remain long-term absentees for Arsenal with injuries.

Danny Welbeck and Nacho Monreal are both in full training, the club said.

It could see one of them return to the starting line-up in place of Maitland-Niles as Emery's tough start continues on Saturday when Arsenal play the 2016-17 champions, Chelsea.

Welbeck has been deployed as a left-back in training as Emery experiments with his first-team squad.

Danny Welbeck's versatility has impressed Unai Emery
Image: Unai Emery has experimented with playing Danny Welbeck at left-back in training

Arsene Wenger's successor faced criticism following Arsenal's attempts to play out from the back in his first league game in charge of the Gunners.

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Goalkeeper Petr Cech attempted more passes than in any Premier League game he played last season under Wenger, but lost possession 11 times.

"When we are thinking in an attacking moment, I want the goalkeeper thinking for that, he is the first," Emery said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports ahead of this season.

"The same when we are thinking defensively, I want our strikers to be thinking: 'We need to protect the goalkeepers'. I want those two moments to feel the same for all players.

Hear from Unai Emery in his press conference on Sky Sports News from 1pm on Thursday ahead of facing Chelsea this weekend.

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