Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has conceded that he may be forced to sign a full-back on loan during the January transfer window.
The Frenchman currently has no recognised full-back available to him because of injury, with Kieran Gibbs in particular a worry for the boss.
"[Gibbs] will see a specialist again and if something happens there that he has had a real setback then we could [go in to the loan market], possibly, yes," Wenger told the club's official website.
"That's what we are doing. We are starting to look at players if Gibbs is not back."
Wenger has been linked with a loan swoop for Manchester City's Wayne Bridge.