Cesc's out, so what next for Arsenal's midfield?

With the news that Cesc Fabregas is out for four months, and with Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott still injured, Arsenal's midfield will have an unfamiliar look for the foreseeable future.

Arguably three of Wenger's four first-choice midfielders are now out injured and with the injury to Fabregas in the draw at Liverpool at the weekend, solutions need to be found, and quickly.

Arsene Wenger has brushed off calls that he should buy in the January transfer window claiming that there are "internal solutions". Here are some of the players who could fill the midfield berths:

Samir Nasri is the obvious choice on the left, but could also fill in for Fabregas, his creativity and pace could cause problems for defences. Despite a great start to the season and some neat periods of play since, such as his pass to Robin van Persie against Liverpool, he seems to drift in and out of games too much for my liking but he is gradually adapting to the English game.

Denilson would be one option to take over Fabregas' mantle of creator in the middle of the park. He has at times been lacking in the defensive midfield position so far this season, but has looked a much better player when he has be given a licence to attack, either on the right of midfield or in the centre, although a lack of real pace could limit his chances on the wing.

Alex Song has looked more and more confident in the holding role in midfield. He, along with Denilson, was praised by Van Persie for his performance against Liverpool. He provides the strength and defensive prowess to be successful in the holding role. His passing is generally good, although he still needs to work on this aspect of his game.

Abou Diaby is a vastly improved player since he first came into the team a few years ago, a long-term injury against Sunderland put his progress back but he is starting to look a very good player with cameo appearances from the bench in recent weeks. His tall, powerful, pyhsique is a useful addition to the team, both for attacking and defensive reasons. His deployment on the left-wing has worked to some extent, his pace and wonderfully quick feet can help to create opportunities, but it would also be nice to see him in the middle to see what he can do there.

Aaron Ramsey has surprised many Arsenal fans this season. Coming from the Championship to the Premiership is no easy step and Ramsey has seemed to have taken to playing for Arsenal like a duck to water. He was the heartbeat of the Carling Cup team, and his appearances in the Champions League have been nothing short of outstanding. Scoring on his Champions League debut against Fenerbache led him to be deployed from the start against the Turkish club in the return leg. He did not disgrace himself by any means showing a maturity which I have only seen in two other players of his age, Wayne Rooney and Fabregas himself. Although I would be tempted to go for more experience against Villa, home games against Portsmouth, Plymouth and Bolton could be the perfect opportunity to show that he can take over Fabregas' mantle, for now and the future.

Jack Wilshere has seemingly been the name on everyone's lips as the future star of Arsenal. He is short but strong, quick, creative and can produce the unpredictable. Wilshere is a perfect candidate for one of the wide positions, and despite being predominately left-footed he can play on both flanks, seemingly to prefer the right wing. The only issue is that he is only 16, but why not give him a go. We seem to be too far behind in the title race now, so until Walcott comes back he may provide the extra pace from midfield that we have been lacking recently.

Amaury Bischoff has recently returned from a long-term injury which limited his appearances for Werder Bremen last season. Wenger saw something he liked in the Portuguese Under-21 international and it is starting to show, with a few goals for the reserves. He is an attacking midfielder so could be used to replace Fabregas, although it seems too early to put him in the side at the present time.

Against Aston Villa I would be tempted to go for a solid midfield of Diaby, Song, Denilson and Nasri. For the three matches after that however, I would like to see Ramsey in the Fabregas position with Nasri on the right, Diaby on the left and Song in the holding role, with Wilshere coming off the bench.