Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Bukayo Saka will miss the next few weeks at least with a hamstring injury. The Arsenal star was taken off inside the opening 30 minutes of the 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace after being captured holding the back of his right leg.
“He felt something in his hamstring,” Arteta explained after the game. “He will have to be assessed. Pretty worried about that. It’s difficult to guess now. They have tested him but difficult to say how bad it is.” The Gunners were able to cope in his absence with three goals scored after he was taken off.
Despite that, he is arguably Arsenal’s most important player and thus any time out of the team will come as a blow and it looks as though Arteta’s worst fears have come to light. After being sent for a scan on Monday, the Gunners boss was asked for the latest on Saka ahead of their clash against Ipswich on Friday, December 27.
“It’s not looking good he’s going to be out for many weeks,” he said in a press conference. Though not a clear timeline, Arteta later confirmed he had torn his hamstring which could mean he misses months rather than weeks. He also revealed Raheem Sterling will be out going forward because of a knee issue.
Though he could be absent for some time, Arteta appears to have no plans to head into the January window for a replacement. “My intention right now is to get the best of what we have,” he said. “I’m putting some ideas together. I haven’t got there yet but I have a few.
“I want to speak with them as well and take it in a positive way. It means we’re going to be different. We went through the period with Martin and the period with five, six defenders missing. We’re looking at it with positive energy.
Arsenal are arguably Liverpool’s biggest threat in the Premier League title race and therefore any absence for Saka could have a major impact.
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