Sol Campbell is set to face English football's mission impossible on Sunday after Thomas Vermaelen's suspected broken leg put the 35-year-old two-time Arsenal defender in line to mark a red-hot Wayne Rooney at the Emirates Stadium.

GettyImagesComeback kid Sol Campbell salutes the Arsenal fans

• Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal

First-choice centre back Thomas Vermaelen suffered a possible broken leg in Arsenal's 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on Wednesday, thrusting Campbell into the position of guiding Arsenal through a potentially season-defining run of Premier League games including Manchester United on Sunday, then Chelsea and finally Liverpool in successive league matches.

Campbell first had to negotiate around an hour of Villa's attack after Vermaelen was taken off in the first half at Villa Park. Vermaelen is due for scans on Thursday to determine whether he has a broken fibula, or if the problem is nerve-related.

Of further concern to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is a hamstring tear suffered by striker Eduardo, who himself had been striving to fill the sizable boots of injured star Robin van Persie. Eduardo will miss Sunday's game at the very least, Wenger confirmed on Wednesday.

Only four months ago, Campbell walked out on Notts County after just one match with the League Two side. Now, having made his Arsenal comeback in the FA Cup defeat at Stoke on Sunday, he seems likey to return to the dizzying heights of the Premier League title race.

Should Wenger trust Campbell's 35-year-old legs with the task at hand, the likes of Rooney, who has five goals in two games, and Chelsea's powerhouse marksman Didier Drogba await.