LONDON (GUARDIAN) - Arsenal star Jack Wilshere is facing another period on the sidelines after reports that he has suffered a suspected hairline fracture of his left fibula after an incident in training .

The England midfielder, who missed nearly six months of last season after injuring his ankle in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Nov 22 , was omitted from the side that defeated Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley in Sunday's Community Shield.

Afterwards manager Arsene Wenger said the player would only be out for "days".

However, it now appears that Wilshere's injury is much worse than originally feared, with the Gunners prepared for bad news when the full extent of the damage to his left fibula is revealed by scans on Friday.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that he was injured by a tackle from Brazilian defender Gabriel during training.

If he requires surgery, the 23-year-old could be out for up to three months but could be back with six to eight weeks if not.

But Wilshere's availability for England's next two Euro 2016 qualifiers, against San Marino and Switzerland, at the start of September now appear very unlikely.