Arsene Wenger confirmed defender Ashley Cole is set to be out of action for six weeks following an operation.
The initial prognosis was Cole could miss three to six weeks of the season, England's Euro 2004 qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Turkey, after undergoing surgery yesterday on a recurring hernia problem.
Wenger said: "We had planned to see the specialist on Thursday as I've been giving him rests for a while now and the guy told us we had to make a decision. Ashley needed surgery, either now or the end of the season.
"It was very tempting to wait until the end of the season, but I'm not a big fan of playing players who are injured".
Arsenal are set to turn to midfielder Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who has played in the left back role for Holland, starting in their Barclaycard Premiership game at home to Charlton on Sunday.
"Sometimes this kind of hole can be a revelation for someone and Giovanni van Bronckhorst is my favourite to fill in, although Kolo Toure and Pascal Cygan can play there too," added Wenger.