Mikel Arteta says Bukayo Saka will undergo another MRI scan on his left quad this afternoon, with Arsenal still waiting to establish the extent of the muscle injury he suffered against Bayern Munich.
The winger went down clutching his leg in the eighth minute of Wednesday’s 2-2 draw and was immediately replaced by Eberechi Eze. He was later seen limping back to the team bus, and the manager remains pessimistic about the outlook.
Fluid around the affected area has complicated the assessment, leaving the medical team needing more time to reach a diagnosis. There are concerns Saka could be facing a lengthy lay-off, potentially stretching to months in the worst-case scenario.
“He’s got another MRI this afternoon because he had quite a lot of fluid in the area, so it was difficult to understand the extent of the injury,” [said Arteta on Friday.](https://www.arsenal.com/news/every-word-of-mikel-artetas-pre-everton-presser-aXXWT4y7i0wP)
“We will know more tomorrow. We need a few more scans and opinions from the specialist. Obviously, when a player has to walk off the pitch, he’s struggling to walk without any pain, he’s restricted in his movement, there are no good signs, so again, let’s be a little bit patient so we can give a definitive assessment and then let you know.”
Having played so much football since breaking into the Arsenal team as a 17-year-old, there are questions over whether Saka, still only 25, is on the verge of burnout. Arteta disagrees, although he admits his robustness has been tested recently.
“I don’t have that feeling at all, but certainly what we have to be very mindful of is to create the right ecosystem around a player to maximise his qualities,” said the manager.
“We need to understand what he’s capable of sustaining when he comes back, whenever that is.
He added: “He’s certainly been different in the last year or so, but the demands that go into the players are immense with club and international competitions, and the times between games are getting narrower.
“There are less than 66 or 67 hours between games, and every hour is important. The support would be really appreciated, and it’s the same for every team.”
“We’re having three games in six days so we know what’s happening, especially when the games are so demanding and the necessity is to win. We know that, so we prepare the players for those scenarios and do the best we possibly can.”
Playing devil’s advocate, many will question why a player who went to the very final weekend of the World Cup (while carrying an achilles problem) was back in the Arsenal team for the Community Shield and has started nearly every game since. Could we have managed his load a little better?
With Christos Tzolis already sidelined by a hamstring injury, Saka’s absence leaves Arteta short of options out wide. Eze is likely to continue on the left, allowing Noni Madueke to play on his favoured right flank, where he moved after the reshuffle in Munich.
Max Dowman could also come into contention, although relying on a 16-year-old every week would be a big ask. Next week’s League Cup trip to Fleetwood Town looks a more likely opportunity for him to start, but there is an obvious temptation to give him a role against Everton tomorrow.
After all, it was against the same opponents in March that he rounded off a 2-0 win with that memorable stoppage-time goal, picking up the ball in his own half before running through to roll it into an empty net.
“To go back to that memory and the feeling of the moment, and that’s with us, and that’s going to stay in the stadium for a long, long time I think.
“He’s training, and every time he’s got a moment to play, he’s showing that he’s a player that is going to impact the game, so for sure he’s going to have minutes.”