Coquelin commits to long-term Arsenal deal

Francis Coquelin has committed his immediate future to Arsenal FC by signing a new long-term contract with the Premier League club.

The 20-year-old, who joined the Gunners from Stade Lavallois Mayenne FC in 2008 and helped France win the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2010, has made seven appearances for the Gunners this season after returning from a successful year-long loan spell with Ligue 1 side FC Lorient in the summer.

A versatile midfielder who can also play in both full-back positions, Coquelin was deputising at left-back against Leeds United AFC on Monday night when he was substituted in the first half after sustaining a hamstring injury, which  manager Arsène Wenger said will keep him out "for a few weeks".

The Frenchman has become the fifth Arsenal full-back to succumb to injury this season with Wenger shorn of the services of Bacary Sagna (broken leg), Kieran Gibbs (stomach), Carl Jenkinson (back) and André Santos (ankle ligaments).

Arsenal will hope to recover some of those players by 15 February when they travel to San Siro for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie against AC Milan. The return leg is in London on 6 March.