Arsenal have growing concern with Bukayo Saka out as Arteta battles nine games in January

Arsenal will be without Bukayo Saka until at least March after the winger was forced to undergo hamstring surgery over the Christmas period. And his absence will be a huge concern for the Gunners following their recent struggles in the final third of the pitch.

Arsenal are set for an action-packed January, with Mikel Arteta forced to navigate nine matches across four competitions.

And they will need to buck their ideas up in front of goal after finding the back of the net just once in their last two home matches in the Premier League.

Saka limped off the pitch during Arsenal’s 5-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace earlier this month, with Arteta confirming the extent of the injury following his side’s 1-0 victory over Ipswich on Friday night.

“He has had a procedure and everything went well, but unfortunately he will be out for many, many weeks,” explained Arteta.

“It will be more than two months. I don't know exactly how much longer. It will depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal, the first week or so, and the mobility of that. It is very difficult to say.”

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Bukayo Saka

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka was forced off during his side's Premier League win over Crystal Palace (Image: GETTY)

Saka has enjoyed another sensational campaign for the Gunners and has contributed nine goals and 13 assists in all competitions.

He has regularly been Arsenal’s most dangerous attacking player and even captained the team in a number of games earlier this season in Martin Odegaard's absence due to his all-round influence on the side.

Against Ipswich, Arsenal looked lacklustre in front of goal as attacking trio Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus all failed to find the back of the net. A fortnight earlier, the Gunners had failed to penetrate the Everton defence in a 0-0 draw even with Saka in the team.

The team are starting to look tired up front and could even delve into the transfer market in January in an attempt to solve their attacking issues, with Ethan Nwaneri named as their only attacking player on the bench against the Tractor Boys.

Arsenal also endured a difficult spell when Odegaard was ruled out with an ankle injury in the autumn, with creativity lacking in the final third. And rivals have shown they can inhibit the Gunners’ output if they aren’t at full strength.

The north London giants travel to Brentford on New Year’s Day, before making a trip to Brighton three days later.

Arteta’s side then face a home Carabao Cup semi-final showdown with Newcastle, before hosting Manchester United in the FA Cup.

There are Premier League matches against Tottenham, Aston Villa and Wolves to come in January, as well as Champions League clashes with Dinamo Zagreb and Girona to factor into the mix.

And there is a real danger Arsenal won’t be able to produce the goods in the final third of the pitch with the consistently needed to compete for silverware on all fronts without their star winger.