by Arsenal have suffered a major blow after Mikel Arteta revealed a “really emotional” Bukayo Saka had been ruled out for “several weeks” with a torn hamstring.
Saka, 23, left Selhurst Park on crutches after falling in the first half of Arsenal’s 5-1 win at Crystal Palace while holding his right leg on Saturday.
And the England international, who has scored nine times and created 12 goals in the Premier League and Champions League so far this season, now faces a prolonged spell on the sidelines.
“It’s not looking good,” Arteta said of his star man. “He’s going to be out for several weeks. I can’t be too specific because I don’t know, but it will take several weeks.
“It’s a hard blow. He’s obviously an important player for us and you just have to see the impact he’s had on the team. But it’s going to be a really good exercise for us to think about ways to overcome another challenge because we’ve had a lot going on during the season.
Saka’s injury comes at a pivotal time in Arsenal’s nine-match campaign in January – including an FA Cup third round clash against Manchester United and the opening game of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle – after their final match of 2024 against Ipswich at the Emirates on Friday.
In a secondary blow to Arteta, the Spaniard also said he would be without Raheem Sterling – the obvious backup option for Saka – for a long period after the on-loan Chelsea winger suffered a knee injury before Arsenal’s victory at Palace.
“He (Sterling) is going to be out for weeks, I think,” Arteta said. “He needs further tests tomorrow (Tuesday) to understand the extent of his injury. Unfortunately, he’s going to be away for a while.
Arteta insisted Saka – who has missed just seven league games in the last three-and-a-half seasons – will be back before the conclusion of the campaign. But he admitted that his player had difficulty accepting this setback.
“He (Saka) was gutted,” Arteta continued. “You can tell he wasn’t hurt because he was really, really emotional and really depressed.
“And we have to take it up.” It’s a big part of his job. He will be fine but he will need a few days.
“He will immediately realize that he is so important in this locker room. His energy level, his body language and the way he communicates with the rest of the team must be really good because it’s the only way at the moment he can help, so he better do it well.
Injuries to Saka and Sterling leave Arsenal exposed on the right side. Gabriel Martinelli could move from left wing – as he did at Crystal Palace after Saka’s withdrawal – while Gabriel Jesus also operated on the right.
However, following Jesus’ recent goal glut, Arteta might prefer the Brazilian to remain number nine. And the Spaniard has not ruled out entering the transfer market to cover Saka and Sterling.
“I don’t know,” he said when asked if he was considering signing a winger next month. “My intention right now is to make the most of what we have. What is outside is not under our control.
“The preparation is complete and we are ready if something happens. We obviously didn’t anticipate a situation with Bukayo and Raheem at the same time. We were more anticipating that would be the case if something happened in the defensive line.
“If something should happen, we will be open. But the main focus is now and how we can extract a lot of potential from this team.
The Gunners head into Christmas third in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Liverpool, having played one more game.
