LONDON — Arsenal says defender Hector Bellerin will be sidelined for the rest of the season after rupturing ligaments in his left knee.

Bellerin went down unchallenged during the second half of Arsenal's 2-0 victory over Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday and he was carried off on a stretcher.

The 23-year-old Spaniard was making his first start since overcoming a calf problem in mid-December.

Arsenal says Bellerin will undergo surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in the "coming days."

Arsenal says "the rehabilitation process is expected to take between six to nine months and therefore rules Hector out of action for the remainder of this season."

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