The Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla is set to miss at least three months with the knee ligament injury he suffered in the 1-1 draw at Norwich City and there are fears he could be absent for longer.

Arsenal are still assessing the injury but are resigned to losing the Spaniard until at least March as Arsène Wenger continues to be hit by fitness problems for key players.

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Cazorla was one of three players to pick up injuries at Carrow Road, with Alexis Sánchez and Laurent Koscielny unable to finish the game. Cazorla, who was hurt when challenging Gary O’Neil for the ball, stayed on the pitch despite suffering the injury in the first minute of the second half.

He was struggling to run towards the end and stayed on only because Wenger had used his three substitutes. “The worrying thing was that it got worse,” Wenger said after the game.

Sánchez injured a hamstring in the same game and the initial indications are he is likely to be out for three to four weeks. The damage to Koscielny’s hip is not as serious as was first feared and he may even feature against Sunderland.

Arsenal are also without Mikel Arteta, Francis Coquelin, Tomas Rosicky, Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere. Wenger hopes Kieran Gibbs will be available to face Sam Allardyce’s side while Theo Walcott could be on the bench.

Nevertheless the news that Cazorla faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines will trouble Wenger with so many other central midfielders out. He has been a key component for Arsenal this season, having played more minutes than any other midfielder in the country this season, bar Manchester United’s Daley Blind, who has featured mainly in defence for Louis van Gaal.

Cazorla has played in 20 games, with Mesut Özil, Eden Hazard and Fernandinho the only other midfielders in England to have played more than 1,600 minutes for their club this season.

Arsenal are entering an important stage of the season with several key games over the next month, including a top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City on 21 December and, next week, their final Champions League group game against Olympiakos. They must win in Athens to proceed to the knockout stage and avoid playing in the Europa League.