Robin Van Persie has suffered a major ankle injury during Holland’s 0-0 draw with Italy last night. Reports suggest that the Arsenal striker has suffered significant ligament damage – there is even the possibility that Van Persie has suffered a break.

In simple terms, it appears that Van Persie could be out for at least three months, although there are also suggestions of a shorter two month spell. On the flipside there is already talk of the possibility of him missing the rest of the season. Awful, awful news all round…

The news broke in the early hours of the morning in the UK press and although reports are currently few and far between, sources include direct quotes from the Dutch national coach, Bert van Marwijk, giving us no reason to doubt the seriousness of the situation…

‘I was shocked when I saw it. It doesn’t look good. I feel very sad for Robin and Arsenal…the first diagnosis is a bad ankle injury. We are waiting for X-rays in hospital. It’s terrible for Robin and is not good for Holland or his club.”

While we have no official confirmation from Arsenal themselves, it is reported that Van Persie will undergo further examination today after which, I imagine, we’ll hear from the club.

This is obviously a massive blow to Arsenal’s title ambitions. Van Persie has been central to the Gunners impressive start to the season, scoring 7 goals and returning 7 assists. He’s been a major part of our fantasy lineups as a result, and now joins the long line of recent injuries that fantasy managers have had to endure.

Before the dust settles on this situation we can speculate that Wenger is now left with Eduardo as his only option as a central striker. Right now he is without Nicklas Bendtner until early December as the Dane has recently gone under the knife for a groin injury. He will doubtless come into Wenger’s plans and take the centre forward role on his return. Up until that point, it’s not absolutely clear how the Arsenal boss will compensate. It’s also worth considering just who will be handed spot-kick duties in Van Pesie’s absence – will that fall at Fabregas’ feet?

Looking further afield, the likes of Rooney and Adebayor are likely to receive increased interest as a result of the inevitable Van Persie sales. Torres and Drogba are the other likely candidates as fantasy replacements, although they are both harbouring their own injury concerns right now. For me, Rooney, with strong fixtures to come, looks the principle option for current Van Persie owners. Of course, you can refer to the Watchlist – now updated as a result of this latest injury blow – for views on recommended players over the coming weeks.

We will bring you more on Eduardo’s prospects in a follow-up article. For now, we’ll leave you to consider your own repair job after this latest, devastating injury news.