Saka could miss up to 12 games after quad injury, Arteta admits
Bukayo Saka will be out for at least a month after suffering a quad injury in Arsenal's Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich, and Mikel Arteta has conceded the winger could be sidelined until Christmas if the worst case scenario plays out.
Saka was withdrawn just ten minutes into the clash in Germany after feeling something in the top of his leg. Arteta admitted concern immediately after the match and confirmed within 48 hours that Saka would undergo a scan.
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Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games.
Speaking ahead of the Premier League fixture against Everton, Arteta offered the clearest update yet on a potential return date once he had seen the results of those tests. “I think it will be weeks, the extent of the injury, I think we're going to have to repeat the scans in a week, ten days to see the extent of that,” he said.
Those comments suggest a minimum absence of around two weeks, which would rule Saka out until the November international break. In that time, Arsenal face Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup, Slavia Prague in the Champions League, and Premier League matches against Liverpool and Hull City.
Scans could extend the timeline
There is no guarantee Saka returns even after the domestic pause, with Arteta confirming further scans are planned later this month. According to football.london, the latest reports suggest the winger could be sidelined for up to eight weeks, a timeframe that would keep him out well into December.
Should that worst case scenario unfold, Saka would also miss Premier League games against Newcastle United, Manchester City, Brentford, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Manchester United, as well as Champions League clashes with Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. Combined with the four fixtures he is already set to miss, that amounts to a potential 12 matches on the sidelines.
Thin options out wide
The timing is awkward for Arsenal given their options on the wings. With Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard both sold in the summer and Christos Tzolis still unavailable, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze are currently the only senior wide options at Arteta's disposal. Academy graduate Max Dowman could be handed further first team minutes as a result.
There is better news elsewhere in the squad, with Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie both back among the fit again. William Saliba remains some way off a return, though, with the club continuing to carefully manage his recovery from a back problem.
Arsenal will be hoping Saka's recovery trends toward the shorter end of that timeline, particularly with a packed schedule of Premier League and Champions League fixtures still to come before the turn of the year.
