Bacary Sagna out for three weeks as Arsenal injury problems continue ahead of West Brom game

The defender picked up the problem in the Champions League win over Napoli

Bacary Sagna has been ruled out for three weeks with a hamstring injury (GETTY IMAGES)

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Bacary Sagna will miss the trip to the Hawthorns this weekend to take on West Brom after he picked up a hamstring injury in the 2-0 Champions League victory over Napoli.

Sagna has been in good form since the start of the season, leading to claims from Wenger that he will be offered a new contract in the not too distant future with his current deal set to expire in the summer.

His best performance of the season came in the win at the Emirates on Tuesday, with Sagna being given a free rein by the Napoli defence to roam down the right wing allowing him to link-up with the brilliant midfield combo of Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey.

But Sagna will now be out for at least three weeks after he suffered the blow, with Wenger confirming that English youngster Carl Jenkinson will deputise for the Frenchman.

“Sagna will be not be available, he has a hamstring injury and will be out for three weeks,” Wenger was quoted as saying on the club’s official Twitter feed.

“It's always a blow as he is a good player. Carl Jenkinson will do well there.”

Sagna will also be unavailable for the French national side when they take on Australia and Finland next Friday and Tuesday respectively, and also the Gunners’ Premier League clash with Norwich. Dependent on his recovery, he could return in time for the much-anticipated Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates on October 22.

The news is a blow to Wenger, who had been looking forward to the returns of Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski from their respective injuries, while Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Abou Diaby remain on the sidelines for a while yet.

“He (Cazorla) is not in contention,” Wenger told www.arsenal.com on Thursday. “But he could be not far after the international break.

“(Yaya Sanogo) is on a good way after his back problem. He will be the same, after the international break.”

The Gunners face Steve Clarke’s West Brom side on Sunday, having already visited the Baggies this season when the two sides met in the Capital One Cup last week, with the north London side running out winners after a penalty shootout.