Kieran Gibbs gives Arsenal a new injury worry

Arsenal's injury problems have exacerbated with the news that stand-in left-back Kieran Gibbs was forced off during the Under-21 game between England and Lithuania on Tuesday evening and later underwent X-rays on his right ankle.

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Kieran Gibbs is a contender for the 2010 World Cup

• Lithuania U21 0-0 England U21

The international break has already been a damaging one for Arsene Wenger following the news that Robin van Persie will be sidelined for up to six weeks having partially ruptured an ankle ligament when representing Netherlands in a friendly against Italy on Saturday.

Now Wenger will be nervously awaiting news of Gibbs, who lasted just 21 minutes as Stuart Pearce's side drew 0-0 with Lithuania in Vilnius. The Under-21 manager said: "Kieran went in for a block challenge with one of their players. He's gone for an X-ray. It's just precautionary at the moment."

If Gibbs has suffered anything more than a knock then it will have come at a particularly inopportune time for both the player and his club. With Gael Clichy currently out with a stress fracture in his back, Gibbs is a first choice in the Arsenal backline at present.

Gibbs had even been mooted as a potential outsider for England's senior World Cup squad and was hoping to exploit the opportunity afforded him by Clichy's injury to impress Fabio Capello.

Wenger does have Mikael Silvestre as an option at left back but the Frenchman has not featured at all in the Premier League this season.

The injury to Gibbs is just the latest fitness problem to afflict Arsenal as Nicklas Bendtner and Theo Walcott are currently sidelined, with Denilson and Johan Djourou also long-term injury victims.