Arsenal centre-back Thomas Vermaelen could be out of action for six weeks after he underwent surgery on an Achilles complaint, according to his father.
The Gunners have yet to confirm how long the Belgian international will take to recover, but the 25-year-old's father has claimed that he may not return until October at the earliest.
"The doctor in Stockholm, where Thomas was operated on last time too, recognised the problem now," he told Belgian website Sporza.
"He would not take any chances and immediately operated on Thomas. He expects a five to six weeks of unavailability."
Vermaelen sustained the injury during Arsenal's Champions League qualifier against Udinese last month.
