Arsenal received a boost on Tuesday as scans revealed Shkodran Mustafi's ankle injury is not as serious as initially suspected.
The centre-back was stretchered off after a collision with Emiliano Martinez as the Gunners beat Bournemouth 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round on Monday.
With the north London side already missing Calum Chambers, Sead Kolasinac and Kieran Tierney through injury, the loss of the German defender threatened to force the club to enter the transfer market to replenish their options.
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Coach Mikel Arteta said after the game that they would look for a new defender due to fears over the severity of Mustafi's injury.
"We will have to assess him but when Mustafi has to come off, normally it is not good," he said to BBC Sport.
"We are in the market. We are looking for some things with the resources we have and we will tell you when we have more news."
But Arsenal have since learned that the 27-year-old will not be out of action for a long time as scans showed he has only sprained his ankle.
Mustafi's future at Arsenal has been in doubt lately due to some poor performances.
The criticism aimed at the former Valencia player only increased after a costly mistake in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea last week.
Arteta, however, vowed to stick by Mustafi and fix the weaknesses in his game.
“Absolutely. It’s my job to do that,” he replied when asked if he can improve the defender ahead of the clash with the Cherries this week.
“I don’t believe that at 27 you cannot improve certain aspects of the game. I really believe that you can.
“I’ve worked with players like this, I’ve had team-mates like this and there is always a moment where there is a click."
Mustafi, who joined Arsenal in 2016 and has a contract that runs until the end of next season, has made 128 appearances for the club, but he has been limited to just 13 in all competitions this season.
