Arsenal and England star Bukayo Saka was forced off injured during the Gunners’ Premier League win at Crystal Palace and manager Mikel Arteta has provided an update
Arsenal and England star Bukayo Saka was forced off injured during the Gunners’ Premier League win at Crystal Palace and manager Mikel Arteta has provided an update Arsenal and England star Bukayo Saka was forced off injured during the Gunners’ Premier League win at Crystal Palace and manager Mikel Arteta has provided an update
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed Bukayo Saka will be out for “many weeks” after picking up an injury against Crystal Palace.
Saka was forced off during the first half at Selhurst Park. The Gunners sitll won 5-1 without the England star, but Arteta will have to prepare for life without the key man during a busy period.
“It’s not looking good, he’s going to be out for many weeks,” Arteta told reporters. When asked about dealing with the absence, 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,” the Spaniard added. “It means we’re going to be different. We went through the period with Martin [Odegaard] and the period with five, six defenders missing. We’re looking at it with positive energy.”
Arsenal were also without loanee Raheem Sterling for Saturday’s win at Selhurst Park. “We lost Raheem yesterday and we don’t know for how long,” Arteta said after the 5-1 triumph.
“To lose two players in 24 hours is not good. Unfortunately with the amount of games that we are playing and with this schedule it doesn’t surprise me.”
Arsenal are back in action on December 27, with Ipswich Town the visitors to the Emirates Stadium. Arteta’s team will then kick off 2025 with a pair of away matches, against Brentford and Brighton.
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Arsenal have faced a number of injury issues this term, including a lengthy lay-off for captain Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian picked up an ankle injury on international duty in September, keeping him out for two months.
Arteta’s team have improved their form of late. They have been unbeaten in seven league matches since Odegaard returned to action, and beat Crystal Palace to progress to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
There have been other injury issues at the back, though. Takehiro Tomiyasu has only managed one appearance this season, while Ben White has missed the last six weeks and still faces more time on the sidelines.
White has undergone surgery after attempting to deal with various injury complaints in the early part of the season. When confirming the news in November, Arteta suggested the former Brighton man would be out for months rather than weeks.
“It’s been different kinds of struggles. It’s never been the same thing,” Arteta said of White. “It’s not been improving. It got to a point a where we have to protect the player.”
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Mirror – Sport