Arsenal have confirmed that skipper Cesc Fábregas will miss the remainder of the domestic season with a cracked bone in his right leg.
Fábregas suffered the injury in a challenge with Carles Puyol which saw the Gunners awarded a penalty in the closing moments of their thrilling Champions League clash with Barcelona last Wednesday.
Having taken the kick himself and scored his 19th goal of the season to make the score 2-2, he crumpled to the ground inside the centre circle.
A statement on Arsenal's official website read: "Following a scan this afternoon, the club can confirm that Cesc Fábregas has suffered a small crack in his right fibula as a result of the collision with Barcelona defender Carles Puyol during Wednesday evening's match.
"As a consequence, Cesc will miss the remainder of the domestic campaign as he will be out of action for at least six weeks."
But there is increasing concern that the 22-year-old may have broken his leg before he went on the pitch to face Barcelona.
Fábregas had been determined to play in the first leg against Barcelona, his boyhood club, and Arsenal's medical team had given him the all-clear after the knock he took below the right knee during Saturday's Premier League match at Birmingham City.
An Arsenal source told The Sun: "There's an increasing suspicion his leg was already broken when he went on the pitch to play against Barcelona.
"The injury is in exactly the same place as the injury he suffered at St Andrew's.
"That's not necessarily proof. But Cesc didn't feel 100 per cent going on to the pitch but he didn't know himself. Nobody knew really.
"The only other possible explanation is it was weakened at Birmingham - then broke with the impact on the legs of Puyol."
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Fábregas suffered the injury in a challenge with Carles Puyol which saw the Gunners awarded a penalty in the closing moments of their thrilling Champions League clash with Barcelona last Wednesday.
Having taken the kick himself and scored his 19th goal of the season to make the score 2-2, he crumpled to the ground inside the centre circle.
A statement on Arsenal's official website read: "Following a scan this afternoon, the club can confirm that Cesc Fábregas has suffered a small crack in his right fibula as a result of the collision with Barcelona defender Carles Puyol during Wednesday evening's match.
"As a consequence, Cesc will miss the remainder of the domestic campaign as he will be out of action for at least six weeks."
But there is increasing concern that the 22-year-old may have broken his leg before he went on the pitch to face Barcelona.
Fábregas had been determined to play in the first leg against Barcelona, his boyhood club, and Arsenal's medical team had given him the all-clear after the knock he took below the right knee during Saturday's Premier League match at Birmingham City.
An Arsenal source told The Sun: "There's an increasing suspicion his leg was already broken when he went on the pitch to play against Barcelona.
"The injury is in exactly the same place as the injury he suffered at St Andrew's.
"That's not necessarily proof. But Cesc didn't feel 100 per cent going on to the pitch but he didn't know himself. Nobody knew really.
"The only other possible explanation is it was weakened at Birmingham - then broke with the impact on the legs of Puyol."
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