Gunners winger Saka, 23, damaged a hamstring in Arsenal’s 5-1 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday evening. Saka is to undergo scans to assess the full damage on the injury which had flared up in the same area while on England duty earlier in the season.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted he was “pretty worried” about the injury and will address the media on Monday but they face an anxious wait with growing concerns.
Saka left Selhurst Park on crutches having been helped off the pitch during the first half which has only raised fears that it is worse than a minor strain. Even a smaller hamstring tear could result in a lengthy lay-off for up to six weeks which would come at a disastrous time for Arsenal.
They have Ipswich on December 27 and are at Brentford on New Year’s Day while they also have a Carabao Cup semi final in January and the FA Cup third round tie with Manchester United and their remaining two Champions League fixtures in this round.
Arsenal saw their form drop off dramatically when they were without captain Martin Odegaard and Saka’s output is crucial as he has five goals and ten assists in the Premier League this season.
Arteta also revealed that Raheem Sterling was not in the squad for the win at Palace after suffering an injury in training and would have to undergo further checks. However, the hope is that it is minor and he would not face a significant lay-off which means he could step in to replace Saka if he is left facing a spell on the sidelines.
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 21: Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta before the Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on December 21, 2024 in London, England.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta fears Saka is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines
After the comfortable win over Palace, Arteta lamented his side's injury issues. While he declined to give an in-depth update over Saka's fitness, he admitted he was concern.
"He felt something in his hamstring, he couldn’t continue, and he’ll have to be assessed. So, we’re really worried about that one. He felt something in his hamstring, he couldn’t continue, and he’ll have to be assessed," Arteta said.
"So, we’re really worried about that one. I’m not sure if it’s exactly the same one, or the same leg. It’s the third minor injury; I don’t know how big this one is going to be but he already had two of them.
"And Raheem as well, we lost Raheem yesterday. We don’t know for how long as well. So, to lose two players in 24 hours is not good. Unfortunately, with the amount of games that we are playing every three days with this schedule, it doesn’t surprise me but the team will react to that.
"It’s so difficult for any team to win it in any competition so anything can happen. We want to put our noses right in there and compete the way we are competing every single game, let’s see what happens."
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