For every injury setback in football, opportunity knocks for someone else. At Arsenal yesterday, Kieran Gibbs became the recipient of the chance of a lifetime — to cement a regular first-team place.

Gibbs’s possible gain comes at the expense of Gaël Clichy, the Arsenal left back, who could be out for up to two months with a suspected stress fracture in his back.

Arsène Wenger, the manager, although disappointed to lose Clichy, has a ready-made replacement — an England Under-21 defender whom he has nursed and nurtured through 21 matches during the previous campaign and four this season.

When Arsenal take on Alkmaar at home in their Champions League group H fixture this evening, when a victory would virtually secure a place in the knockout stages, Gibbs, 20, will take his first steps towards staking a permanent claim to the left-back slot.

“I spoke with Stuart Pearce when Kieran was with them and they were always very happy with him,” Wenger said. “Clichy is a blow, because it exposes Gibbs every three days, but we move into a period where he would have played anyway. You rotate a little bit more when you move into November. I think Gibbs has good potential and he has had a good role model with Clichy.”

Rather than Gibbs’s steady displays defensively and fleet-footed surges forward, he is often remembered for his error in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Manchester United last season. His slip allowed Park Ji Sung to score for United after only eight minutes, effectively ending the tie, and he was replaced by Emmanuel Eboué at half-time.

But Wenger has high hopes for one of the brightest talents at the North London club. “I don’t remember him for the mistake against United,” he said. “After that he played well, so, for me, it is forgotten.”