Arsenal starlet Xavier Amaechi out for several months with metatarsal injury

Highly regarded Arsenal winger Xavier Amaechi will be unavailable until 2019 after suffering an injury on international duty.

Amaechi, 17, has not featured in the Gunners’ youth setup since the most recent international break, when he was with the England Under-18s, and confirmed on Wednesday that he would not be fit again until the new year.

Standard Sport understands that Amaechi suffered an injury to his metatarsal that though minor and easy to fix will take several months to heal, meaning the winger will miss a run of games when he could have proven his worth to first-team coach Unai Emery.

Amaechi, who signed his first professional deal at the earliest possible stage on his 17th birthday, is considered one of the top prospects of his age group in English football and impressed in last summer’s U17 European Championships, where he was named in the team of the tournament.

The youngster had already earned himself a regular spot in Freddie Ljungberg’s U23 side and his blistering pace, which has seen comparisons with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, had led to much excitement over his potential.