Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that the ankle injury suffered by Alexis Sanchez during Saturday's 3-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion is not as bad as first feared.

The 28-year-old picked up the injury in the first half at The Hawthorns but played on until the 78th minute - something Wenger later admitted he should not have done.

Wenger told reporters after that match that Sanchez's ankle was in "an absolutely terrible state", but has now confirmed that the Chilean has not suffered ligament damage.

"I don't know [how he is] because he left for Chile. In South America there is a decisive period now for the qualifiers for the World Cup, and they have a very important game - I think they're playing Argentina - over the weekend," he told beIN Sports.

"The last news I have is that it was only the kick. We didn't know after [the West Brom game] if his ligaments were damaged or not because it was swollen and it was difficult to assess after the game, but the last news we have is positive."

Saturday's defeat leaves Arsenal sixth in the Premier League table, six points adrift of the Champions League places.