Arsenal blow as Cole has hernia op

Arsenal's bid for a League, Cup and European Champions League treble suffered a setback when England fullback Ashley Cole underwent an unexpected hernia operation.

The surgery will rule Cole, an ever-present for both club and country, out of action for at least three weeks, meaning he will almost certainly miss the Gunners' crucial Champions League clashes with Roma and Valencia.

In a statement, Arsenal said Cole had aggravated the problem during Wednesday night's goalless draw with Ajax in Amsterdam, during which the left-back's clearance off the line prevented his side from going down to what would have been a devastating defeat.

"Ashley Cole had a minor operation in a London hospital this morning to repair a bilateral hernia," the statement said.

"This was an injury which Ashley had been suffering from this season and it worsened after our UEFA Champions League match against Ajax last night.

"Ashley was examined by Club medical staff this morning, at which stage it was decided to proceed with the operation.

"The minor operation was successful and everyone at the Club wishes Ashley a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back in action very soon."

Arsenal have no experienced cover at left back but Dutch midfielder Gio van Bronckhorst is used to operating in a wingback role on the left.

Depending on how his recovery goes, Cole could also miss England's Euro 2004 qualifiers against Liechtenstein on March 31 and Turkey on April 4.