Saka out for at least four weeks, Arteta confirms quad injury
Bukayo Saka will be sidelined for a minimum of four matches after Mikel Arteta confirmed the winger’s quad injury, sustained in the Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich, will keep him out until at least the November international break.
Saka was withdrawn just 10 minutes into Arsenal’s trip to Germany after feeling discomfort in the top of his leg. Arteta admitted his concern immediately after the match and confirmed within 48 hours that Saka would undergo a scan.
The Friday Injury Tracker
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 first real indication of a timeline once the scan results came back. “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, as reported by football.london.
Which games will Saka miss?
Those comments point to an absence of at least two weeks, which would rule Saka out of the Carabao Cup trip to Fleetwood Town, the Champions League visit of Slavia Prague, and Premier League meetings with Liverpool and Hull City.
There is no guarantee Saka returns even after that two week period, with further scans still to come later in the month. According to football.london, the latest reports suggest the winger could be sidelined for up to eight weeks in a worst case scenario, a timeline that would also cost him Premier League matches against Newcastle United, Manchester City, Brentford, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Manchester United, as well as Champions League clashes with Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.
Should Arsenal get past Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup, Saka would also likely miss a potential fifth round tie, taking the total number of games in doubt to as many as 12 before Christmas.
Who fills the void?
The timing is awkward for Arteta given the club's attacking options out wide. With Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard both sold in the summer and Christos Tzolis still unavailable through injury, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze are currently the only senior wingers in the squad. Academy graduate Max Dowman could be handed further first team opportunities as a result.
There is better news elsewhere, with Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie both back among the available options having returned from their own fitness issues. William Saliba remains some way from a return, though, with the club continuing to carefully manage his recovery from a back problem.
Arsenal will be hoping the more encouraging end of Arteta's timeline proves accurate, with further scans in the coming weeks set to clarify exactly how long Saka is set to be out for.
