Raheem Sterling has been denied the opportunity he's been waiting for on loan at Arsenal.
Signed on deadline day this summer, the 82-cap England forward has been made to play second fiddle out wide this season, even with the Gunners being hit so hard by injury problems. Now, after it was confirmed that Bukayo Saka is ruled out until late-January - at the earliest - Sterling is also set for a spell on the side-lines.
The 30-year-old has picked up a knee problem. Here, football.london takes a closer look at the latest news on his fitness and when the loanee might return to first-team action;
When will Raheem Sterling return?
The full extent of Sterling's injury has not yet been revealed. Mikel Arteta has addressed the issue, twice, but the player has further tests pencilled in over Christmas as Arsenal try to get to the bottom of his injury.
Arteta did go as far as saying the loanee would be out for "a few weeks" - and an update on him should follow.
As for Saka, meanwhile, football.london understands he will be missing until late-January. When further news on Sterling breaks, our dedicated Arsenal reporters will bring it to you first.
What has Mikel Arteta said?
"We've lost Raheem and we don't know for how long," said the Arsenal manager when simultaneously confirming that Saka had also picked up an injury. "To lose two players in 24 hours is not good.
"Unfortunately, with the amount of games that we are playing, and with this schedule, it doesn't surprise me."
Speaking before the impending game with Ipswich, the Spaniard added: "He's going to be out for weeks I believe.
"He needs further testing to understand the extent of his injury. It's his knee.
"We have to wait and see another 24 hours. Unfortunately, he's going to be out for a while."
How will the injury impact his loan deal?
Arsenal welcomed Sterling to the Emirates Stadium on deadline day as the ex-Manchester City man completed a season-long loan from Chelsea. Even before his injury, Sterling has struggled to make his mark in north London.
The 30-year-old has totted-up just 426 minutes for the Gunners in all competitions, with one goal and two assists, leading to question marks over his immediate future and whether or not Arsenal would cut short his loan move.
Reports from TBR Football, though, rebuff that proposition as the market prepares to reopen.
Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel
Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.