Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka could remain on the sidelines for another eight weeks, according to reports.
English tabloid The Sun claim that the Gunners are unwilling to risk the 23-year-old’s fitness by bringing him back into the starting eleven too early.
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Another journalist reporting for the same newspaper suggested last week that Saka could be in contention to face Manchester United at the start of next month.
However, if this new story is to be believed, the England international may have to wait considerably longer before putting on a Gunners shirt again.
What is Saka’s new return date?
If the eight-week timeline is precise, that would mean the winger’s next appearance could come against either Brentford on April 12th or Ipswich Town on the 19th.
That wouldn’t give Saka a lot of time to make an impact on the title race. He would only return for Arsenal’s final 6 or 7 league games.
Latest Arsenal injury update
The news about Saka is the latest fitness setback for Mikel Arteta’s side with it being confirmed on Thursday that Kai Havertz will miss the rest of the season with a torn hamstring.
As the German is the club’s top scorer this season (having found the back of the net 15 times in all competitions), his absence is likely to prove just as significant as Saka’s.
Gabriel Martinelli is already sidelined for up to a month with his own hamstring problem which he sustained in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle.
Gabriel Jesus (ACL) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) are both set to miss the rest of the campaign too, with the latter expected to undergo an operation. The only positive for the Gunners is the return of Ben White, who has been on the sidelines since November.
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