Bukayo Saka has torn his right hamstring and will be sidelined for “many weeks”, according to the Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
Arteta said he could not put an exact timescale on the forward’s return as he is still being assessed. Saka was in pain and used crutches after he left Selhurst Park on Saturday night, having signalled that he wanted to be substituted in the 5-1 win over Crystal Palace.
“It’s a huge one [blow],” Arteta said. “It is not looking good. He will be out for many weeks. I can’t be too specific because I don’t know. He was gutted, you can tell that he’s not been injured because he was really, really emotional. He was really down and we need to lift him up.
“He will be fine, he’s going to need a few days. He’s not a player that is used to not playing football, he’s not a player that is used to being injured for long periods of time.”
Saka has scored 20 goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season
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If Saka is out for about six weeks he would miss ten matches across all competitions and face a battle to be fit to play at home against Manchester City in early February.
Arsenal host Ipswich Town on Friday and also play Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa among five other Premier League matches. They also have two Champions League group matches, Newcastle United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final and Manchester United in the FA Cup third-round tie.
Arteta said he felt the injury was probably a consequence of the accumulation of matches. In the past four seasons since August 2021 Saka has played 162 times for Arsenal and 34 times for England. In his absence Gabriel Martinelli may continue on the right after he switched wings against Palace, though Arteta said he could also use Gabriel Jesus, Ethan Nwaneri, Kai Havertz or Leandro Trossard.
Arteta may look to add to his depleted squad in the January transfer window
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Arteta was dealt another blow when Raheem Sterling, who could be a possible back-up for Saka, suffered a knee injury in training. The winger will have another test on Tuesday to determine the extent of the problem.
While Saka, 23, has often returned fairly quickly from injuries, the worry is that it is the third hamstring issue he has suffered during this campaign, while he also had a thigh problem last season.
He missed two matches for Arsenal in October, including the 2-0 defeat by Bournemouth, after feeling his right hamstring during England’s 2-1 defeat by Greece in the Nations League.
This season he has started 16 of 17 league matches and five of six Champions League matches, plus a third-round Carabao Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers in September. Last season he missed only three league matches because of small muscle issues, having set a club record of playing in 87 successive top-flight games.
Sterling’s injury narrows Arteta’s options as he looks for Saka’s temporary replacement
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Arteta has previously signalled that he is looking to strengthen his squad when the January transfer window opens after losing a number of players to muscular injuries this season. The 42-year-old is also without the full backs Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Arsenal may secure a place in the top eight of the Champions League league stage if they beat Dinamo Zagreb at home next month, meaning they could rest players for the final match away to Girona, four days before they host Manchester City in the league.
