A "distraught" Eduardo da Silva will miss the rest of the season due to the groin injury he sustained in a collision with Rio Ferdinand in Wednesday's first leg of the Champions League semi-final. While Ferdinand's bruised ribs may heal in time for him to line up for Manchester United at the Emirates on Tuesday, the Arsenal striker's already shortened season has come to an abrupt end.

The cruel blow is in keeping with the Croatian's recent misfortunes and this, his third setback since returning in February from a broken leg, led the Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger to describe him as the unluckiest player he has ever managed.

"It looks like, since he's come back, just every single thing that can happen has happened to him," said Wenger. "It's just bad coincidences, like the guy who stands on the motorway and the lorry comes on the wrong side. He is really distraught. We have had a few who have been down [with ­injuries] but this time I think it affected him a lot. The season is over for him, he'll be out for three weeks, [it will be] three weeks after to come back to football competitiveness."

That admission identifies Croatia's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on 6 June in Zagreb as a possible return to ­action for a player blighted by injuries since he broke his fibula and dislocated his left ankle against Birmingham City in February 2008.

Wednesday's blow was the third injury the 26-year-old has sustained in four games since his return to the Arsenal first team in February – his goal-scoring performance in the 3-0 FA Cup victory over Burnley in March was the only match he came through unscathed.

While Wenger admitted that over-zealous training might have accounted for the ­hamstring strain that ruled him out for three weeks after his comeback game against Cardiff City and the previous groin injury he suffered against Roma in March, he described Wednesday's injury as "purely accidental".

"We watched it carefully again on the slow motion and in the incident he has absolutely no chance to escape. He is on the ground and Ferdinand falls on him with the knee on his groin and you see the groin going," he said. "He turns his body completely but he has no chance to escape."

Groin injuries also rule out both the centre-half Mikaël Silvestre and top-scorer Robin van Persie from the visit to Portsmouth, though both may be fit to feature against Manchester United.