Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had feared Gibbs, 20, had suffered his second broken metatarsal bone in a year.

BBC: Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs suffers only minor foot injury

Few people had heard of the metatarsal bone before Beckham broke his - then everyone was at it.

BBC: WHEN THE INJURIES HAPPENED

The most frequent procedure to correct the angular deformity is an osteotomy, or a bone cut at either the front, middle or back portion of the first metatarsal bone.

WSJ: Young People Also Weigh Surgery to Relieve Ugly, Painful Bunions

Even though he is available on a free transfer his time on Tyneside has been plagued by injury problems, including a broken metatarsal bone, knee ligament damage sustained at the 2006 World Cup, a double hernia operation and a thigh problem.

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The most serious bunions are treated with a joint-fusion surgical procedure known as a lapidus bunionectomy, in which the first metatarsal and the next bone back, a cuneiform, are fused together.

WSJ: Young People Also Weigh Surgery to Relieve Ugly, Painful Bunions

The main sign of the condition is the big toe pointing towards the other toes, which forces out the bone attached to it - the first metatarsal.

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This procedure involves cutting the front portion of the first metatarsal in a V-shape, moving the bone and holding the sections together with a fixation device, such as screws.

WSJ: Young People Also Weigh Surgery to Relieve Ugly, Painful Bunions