by Mikel Arteta believes finding ways for Arsenal to be able to do without Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard at times this season will make him a better manager.
The Gunners have been hit hard by injuries this season and Saka is the latest player to be hit.
The winger tore his right hamstring during Arsenal’s 5-1 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday night and Arteta confirmed he will be out for “several weeks”.
This comes as Gunners captain Odegaard injured his ankle in September while playing for Norway and only returned at the start of November.
Arteta revealed he is now drawing up plans for how Arsenal will cope without Saka ahead of a busy January schedule.
And when asked if that, and the time Arsenal were without Odegaard, would make him a better manager, Arteta replied: “I think so, yeah.
“And obviously we started the season with one of the thinnest teams in the Premier League, we knew that.
“Okay, so what do we need?” If we are the thinnest, what do we need? And dig deeper into that and make sure we’re using every player to the best possible potential, everyone has to feel part of it.
“We have to rediscover players in different positions and relationships. Honestly, it’s awesome. It’s a really good exercise and the boys are willing to do whatever we ask them to do, so that’s a really good thing too.
Saka’s hamstring injury is the first major injury of his career and he left Selhurst Park on Saturday evening using crutches.
The winger underwent an assessment over the weekend and Monday and is now ready for a long-term spell.
“He was gutted,” Arteta said. “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. And everything will be fine, but it will take 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.
“We look at everything we could have done better, differently. But there are also a lot of uncontrollables (with Saka’s injury).
“The action produces so much force because that’s the moment where he places the center, so the force is in the standing legs and these actions happen in football.”
