Bukayo Saka's injury has left Arsenal fearing the worst ahead of busy festive schedule in the Premier League
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Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka has picked up a hamstring injury(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Bukayo Saka is reportedly facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines and could be absent until March following a hamstring injury picked up in Arsenal's 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. The Gunners star talent was treated on the pitch in the first half of the match at Palace but couldn't carry on.
Commenting on Monday, manager Mikel Arteta said he would be out for "many weeks," though he stopped short of providing a definitive return date. According to The Mail, the extent of Saka's injury might be more serious than initially thought, hinting at a potential hamstring tear.
This isn't the first time this season that Saka has had to nurse an injury, having missed time earlier following an October incident while on international duty with England. Should the forward miss all games up through February, Arsenal would feel his absence in significant fixtures, including the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle, a North London Derby versus Tottenham Hotspur in the league, and pivotal Champions League matches.
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While fans hope for a quicker recovery possibly allowing for a comeback during the early February game against Manchester City, there are concerns that Saka's downtime may extend beyond that point, disrupting Arsenal's attempts to keep pace with Premier League frontrunners Liverpool. After Saka had to leave the pitch during the game against Palace, Arteta turned to Gabriel Martinelli as a substitute on the right.
Arteta indicated he's weighing up various strategies for coping with Saka's absence. Complicating matters further, Raheem Sterling, the Chelsea player on loan at Arsenal, is currently sidelined due to injury. Regarding Sterling's condition, Arteta disclosed: "He needs some further testing tomorrow to understand the extent of the injury. It's his knee and we have to wait another 24 hours, but unfortunately he's going to be out for a while."
The Gunners have remained unbeaten over their past seven league games—securing four wins and three draws. Nevertheless, they remain third in the standings, trailing Chelsea by two points and league leaders Liverpool by six.
Ipswich Town are next in line to challenge Arsenal this Friday, with subsequent away matches against Brentford and Brighton. When addressing reporters before the Ipswich clash, Arteta shared his outlook: "I'm putting some ideas together. I haven't got there yet but I have a few.
"I want to speak with them [the players] as well and take it in a positive way. 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."