Mikel Arteta revealed Bukayo Saka is "gutted" after the Arsenal winger tore his hamstring in the weekend win over Crystal Palace.
The 23-year-old was forced off in the first half of the 5-1 victory over the Eagles after pulling up while crossing into the box. The England international left Selhurst Park on crutches and now faces "many weeks" on the sidelines.
Providing an update on the Hale Ender, Arteta said on Monday: "It's not looking good he's going to be out for many weeks." When asked for Saka's reaction to the injury, the Spaniard said: "He was gutted.
"You could tell that he hasn’t been injured because he was really emotional and really down. He will be fine but I think he’s going to need a few days."
Arteta, though, is planning on giving Saka the support he needs so he can come back stronger. "He’s going to immediately realise that he’s really important in that dressing room," Arteta added. "His body language is the only way he can help so he had better do that."
Saka has been in sensational form for Arsenal this season with the winger scoring nine goals and assisting 13 more in 24 appearances. The likes of Gabriel Jesus, Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz could now be called upon to play on the right hand side. Raheem Sterling is injured, however, with the Chelsea loanee picking up a knee injury last week.
"Gabi has played there, Ethan has played there, Leo can play there in relation to how the unit moves," Arteta said. "Kai can play there. We will talk to them and understand how they feel about it."
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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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