Laurent Koscielny will be out six months after undergoing surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon.

Koscielny was planning on retiring from international duty with France following the World Cup.

Koscielny had been forced to manage inflammation in the tendon for some time, although Wenger expressed his surprise that the discomfort had turned into the worst-case injury.

“Koscielny is devastated because he has had surgery,” Arsene Wenger said. “That means he will be out for six months. You will not see him before the end of December, or maybe the beginning of December at best. It’s certainly the final year he would play for the national team, but you never know. He now misses the World Cup, as well."

Koscielny is under contract with Arsenal until 2020.