Cole was stretchered off in the dying minutes last night after appearing to fall awkwardly following an attempted headed clearance. It looked pretty bad at first but he limped back on within a minute or two.

After the final whistle he was again receiving treatment on the pitch. Apparently they thought it might be cramp but it's looking like it might be worse.

If it is a hamstring strain he will probably miss a few weeks including the Real Mallorca match next week. Giovanni van Bronckhorst is an able deputy, but it's possible that Upson will be tried there. At the start of the season Wenger mentioned Matty as possible cover for Cole, and it's not impossible that Le Boss will see it as a solution to the problem of picking 2 from him, Keown, and Sol. But Gio is a more natural leftback.