Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has a partial rupture of the medial knee ligament and will be out of action until April. The Spaniard had to be substituted at half-time in Arsenal's 1-1 draw against Liverpool on Sunday following a challenge with Xabi Alonso.

"The news is not good because it is a partial rupture of the medial knee ligament that is taking us three to four months," boss Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports News.

"We count four. He will be working hard to return earlier but we count four months.

"We will miss him of course but we have to find a way to compensate for the fact that he will not be on the pitch.

"I am sure we can deal with it and when he comes back he can help us to get over the line in the final months."

Wenger added that he had no complaints over Alonso's tackle, saying: "The challenge was fair and honest.

"It is the kind of thing that can happen and you have to accept. It was purely accidental."

Wenger accepts that he may now be forced into the transfer market.

He commented: "It is more likely yes, but we also have internal solutions. We are not desperate."

Asked about Zenit St Petersburg playmaker Andrei Arshavin, Wenger added: "At the moment nobody is going out and nobody is coming in."