Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin says he'll be back on the pitch within four weeks as his recovery from an ankle injury is going "better than expected."
However, that's still a longer layoff than an initial estimate from Gunners manager Arsene Wenger, who said on Nov. 17 that the Spanish right-back would be sidelined for four weeks in total. But Bellerin told the Daily Mirror that he may not be back playing until the Christmas period.
"[The recovery] is going really good. Better than I expected," Bellerin said. "It is a hard injury to recover from and a bit painful. But I am going to try to be running from this week and hopefully I'll be back on the pitch in less than four weeks."
Bellerin injured his ankle in the last moments of Arsenal's 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur before the recent international break, and had to withdraw from Spain's under-21 squad after it flared up in training.
Arsenal's right-back problems intensified on Sunday when Mathieu Debuchy pulled a hamstring just 15 minutes into a 3-1 win over Bournemouth, his first appearance of the season after recovering from a calf injury.
It means 23-year-old Carl Jenkinson is the only true right-back available to Wenger, although centre-backs Shkodran Mustafi, Gabriel Paulista and Rob Holding can all deputise in the position if needed.