Manchester City striker Jon Macken is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing a knee operation. Macken has yet to make a league appearance this season after failing to overcome the problem.

The �5million former Preston forward was originally told he would be out of action for a month. However, last week's visit to a specialist saw him greeted with bad news and City assistant boss Stuart Pearce admitted he could be missing for some time.

"The doctors found a floating segment in his knee, which was obviously quite disappointing," he said.

"He has had the operation and the problem has not been removed. We hope he recovers quickly but even so he will be out for a number of weeks."

With Paulo Wanchope also out until February with his own knee complaint, Kevin Keegan's attacking resources are stretched with the transfer window not due to open again until January.

Having mixed his formations so far, Keegan must decide whether to give former Gunner Nicolas Anelka a lone attacking role or persevere with Darren Huckerby as his strike partner.

Shaun Wright-Phillips is a certain starter on the ground where his father Ian became a hero but will be concentrating his efforts on giving City their first away point of the campaign.

And Anelka returns to Highbury insisting he is a better player than the one which left under a cloud three years ago. The French striker is still only 23 but counts Arsenal, Real Madrid, Paris St Germain and Liverpool among his clubs in a turbulent career which has seen more than its fair share of controversy.

However, Anelka now seems to have found a happy home at Manchester City and, having collected his first goals of the season against Everton 10 days ago, is now looking to inflict a rare defeat on some former team-mates he still counts as friends.

"I am a better player now," the France international told the Manchester Evening News. "I am older and wiser. When I was at Highbury I was an out-and-out striker, a scorer of goals. But first at Real Madrid and then at Paris St Germain I learned to play behind the strikers. I have a different dimensions to my game now and I am a more complete player because of it. I am looking forward to going back to Highbury."

He thought he had claimed a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Everton, although that has now been revised by the Football Association who have officially credited his opening strike as an own goal by Toffees' Canadian front man Tomasz Radzinski.

Meanwhile Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Sylvain Wiltord and Sol Campbell have all been passed fit for Arsenal but fullback Lauren and midfielder Ray Parlour are out with knee injuries.

Key striker Henry had to pull out of the France squad last week through a foot injury while Campbell (hip) missed England's clash with Portugal.

Wiltord and Vieira came through unscathed for France against Cyprus while Bergkamp, who has missed Arsenal's last two games with a calf-muscle problem, is fit again.

Brazilian midfielder Edu may be another doubt after lasting just 31 minutes of the Gunners' 1-1 draw at Chelsea nine days ago while Wenger must choose between Ukraine's Oleg Luzhny and Ivory Coast star Kolo Toure - who played for their national teams on Saturday night - as deputy for Lauren.

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