According to The Mirror, Arsenal have been dealt the bitter news that defender Hector Bellerin may miss the rest of the season. 

The 23-year-old picked up a knee injury in The Gunners' 2-0 victory over Chelsea at The Emirates on Saturday, and his manager Unai Emery indicated that it is a very serious injury. He is yet to have a scan on the knee, but Arsenal are fearing the worst.

The victory on Saturday put The Gunners within three points of fourth place Chelsea, as their hunt for Champions League football next season continues. However, this injury could serious curtail those hopes.

The Spaniard has been integral to Emery's team this season, registering five assists in 19 Premier League games, as his pace and ability to get forward make him a real asset to the brand of football that Emery is trying to deploy in north London. There is no comparable replacement to Bellerin at Arsenal, and as a consequence, their performances may be weakened slightly.

The Gunners already have injury concerns in their defence, with centre-back Rob Holding set to miss the rest of the season as well. To lose Bellerin suddenly leaves their defence looking very sparse indeed. This was the biggest area of concern for Arsenal at the beginning of the season, and this latest setback is perhaps the biggest loss of all to The Gunners. This suddenly throws the club's top four hopes into doubt, and it looks very unlikely that they will do anything this transfer window to remedy their problems.