Arsenal fear Bukayo Saka could be sidelined until March after tearing his hamstring against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta confirmed on Monday that the winger is set to be out for “many weeks”, with the club awaiting the results of further tests before being able to determine an exact timeline.
“I cannot be too specific because I don’t know, but it will be many weeks,” Arteta said. “I would be very optimistic that he is going to be well back before the end of the season.”
Either way, Saka is expected to miss a key chunk of the season and his absence is a major blow to the Gunners’ hopes of reeling in Liverpool in the Premier League title race, as well as chasing success in three cup competitions.
Ouch: Bukayo Saka feels the pain after tearing his hamstring against Crystal Palace
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Saka’s injury may force Arsenal to enter the January transfer market, with Arteta considering his options as well as how to cope within the existing squad.
The need for reinforcements has been heightened by the injury to Raheem Sterling that meant he was not available for the game at Selhurst Park and will rule him out for weeks.
Arteta’s side face Manchester United in the FA Cup next month and have a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final tie against Newcastle that concludes in early February.
Arsenal also have two remaining Champions League group games, against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona, to come before the end of January, though if they can seal their place among the top-eight qualifiers they will at least put off a European knockout tie until early March.
“At some stage, at this level, you are going to get injured,” Arteta added. “Unfortunately badly. It could have been much worse, it can be something else that can take you out for a year. It’s how you react to that, how you overcome that situation.
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“It is a great learning process for him as well. I take it this way. It is what it is. He is injured, we cannot change that. How are we going to use this time now to help him for the following years in his career?”