Bukayo Saka 's injury has come at the 'perfect time' for Arsenal in terms of the fixture schedule, according to pundit and former Tottenham Hotspur striker Les Ferdinand.
The 23-year-old winger was forced off with an apparent muscular problem in the first-half of the Gunners' 5-1 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday evening. Saka was replaced by Leandro Trossard and was later pictured leaving Selhurst Park on crutches as concerns over the extent of the injury intensified.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted post-match that Saka's injury was 'worrying', although the club are yet to issue an official update on his recovery timeline. While Saka's absence for any number of games would come as a blow to Arsenal, Ferdinand believes the kind fixture schedule over Christmas will limit any potential impact.
"It feels the perfect time for him [Saka] to get injured and be out," the pundit told Sky Sports on Sunday. "If he is going to be out for any spell, it should be this Christmas period.
"If you look at the games they've got coming up and the fact there is no Champions League [until the end of January], it gives him a bit of time to rest. We talk about players playing loads of games and he hasn't had a period where he's been out for any length of time.
"If he's out for a bit of time now, it will put him in good stead for when things kick on in January and February."
Saka has featured 24 times for Arsenal across all competitions so far this season. In that time, he has scored nine goals and registered 13 assists.
While the winter schedule doesn't let up in terms of the sheer number of games, Arsenal have a favourable run of Premier League matches against Ipswich Town, Brentford and Brighton through to the New Year. Intensity will then ramp up again mid-January with an FA Cup clash against Manchester United, followed by league meetings with Spurs and Aston Villa.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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