The Germany international ruptured ligaments during the GUnners’ 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on October 5, and was initially expected to be out of action for 10-12 weeks.
The original diagnosis was made while Ozil was on international duty, and his club manager Arsene Wenger immediately indicated that they would perform their own tests amidst fears that his recovery would take longer, a suspicion that has proved correct.
“I’ve been out injured for five weeks, and I will miss another seven weeks. That’s a long time, indeed,” Ozil said at an awards gala.
“Sadly, I am ruled out because of my knee. But it is like that in football sometimes. Chin up, and move on.”
The news comes as a blow to the north London outfit, who are also without Laurent Koscielny (Achilles), Mathieu Debuchy (broken ankle) and Olivier Giroud (broken foot).