Bukayo Saka injury latest as England make decision on Arsenal star following Man City absence
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka is currently nursing an injury that he picked up during last week’s UEFA Champions League loss to RC Lens. The England international sustained recent knocks during Premier League outings against Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth but Mikel Arteta still decided to start the youngster in France.
Saka’s evening then ended prematurely as he appeared to pick up some kind of muscle injury, a major worry for the north Londoners considering his important to the team. The 22-year-old then missed Sunday’s fixture against Manchester City – ending his streak of featuring in 87 Gunners league matches in a row.
Now, football.london has rounded up everything that has been reported on Saka’s current fitness status below.
England decision
England men’s national team have confirmed that Saka won’t take part in the upcoming international break and will instead spend time at Arsenal recovering from his injury. The talented attacker missed Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Manchester City, ending his streak of featuring in 87 Gunners league matches in a row.
After the north Londoners secured all three points against City, Arteta admitted that the 22-year-old wouldn’t be fit enough to feature for England. The Spaniard said “No, he couldn’t make it.
“He hasn’t had a single training session so he will be out. He’s not available to play football at the moment.”
There was still a chance that he could have featured for the Three Lions as Saka had to report for duty before the medical team gave their own assessment of the situation. That appears to have resulted in the winger now returning to Arsenal for his rehabilitation from injury for the time being.
A statement from the national team reads: “Bukayo Saka will play no part in England’s fixtures with Australia and Italy. The forward reported to St. George’s Park on Monday alongside the rest of the Three Lions’ squad.
“Having missed Arsenal’s Premier League win against Manchester City on Sunday through injury, Saka was assessed by the England medical team and it was decided the player would continue his rehabilitation at his club. No replacements are planned with Gareth Southgate having a squad of 25 players to work with.”
Set to start
Reports ahead of the game suggest that Saka is going to be ready to start the game on Sunday in what would be a major boost for Arsenal. It is said that he is expected to be ready from the off – making it 88 league games in a row – whilst there is also a big chunk of good news for Ganriel Martinelli.
The Daily Mail write that the Brazilian has ‘accelerated his recovery’ in the past 48 hours and is now in contention to be in the squad. Martinelli hasn’t played since being taken off in the first half against Everton.
Arteta update
Mikel Arteta has given a huge update on Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, claiming he is currently in contention to play against Manchester City over the weekend. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: “Well he is in contention. Let’s see how he progresses from here to Sunday. He had to leave the pitch that’s never good news but let’s see how he recovers.”
Southgate promise
England men’s national team boss Gareth Southgate has promised Arsenal that he won’t risk Bukayo Saka’s fitness over the international break if there are any doubts over his ability to play. Speaking to reporters, he said: “I’ve been a player and I’ve never ever taken a risk on a player’s physical well being. And nor would I.
“I can only go via what Mikel Arteta has said about the last few games. He is in contention for the weekend so we’ve obviously got a very important qualifier. We look after the players as well as any country. We have really good dialogue with all of their clubs, I think they pretty much all would agree that we probably give better feedback than every other nation.
“They have trust in us that we make decisions that are right for the long-term whenever we can. We only have ten matches a year. And there’s been times when with Bukayo, for example, we haven’t always played him. But there are certain key games where if it’s possible to have your best players then you do want to have them.”
Silence broken
England manager Gareth Southgate has given an update on the reason he picked Arsenal star Bukayo Saka for his upcoming England squad. He told reporters: “That he’s [Saka] still being assessed so obviously they’ve got a big game this weekend [Arsenal vs Manchester City] and then there’s another seven days before we play Australia and then another ten days before Italy, so we’ll monitor everyone.”
England decision
England have decided to include Bukayo Saka as part of their squad to face Australia and Italy in the upcoming international break. It suggests that the youngster could well be fit to face Manchester City this weekend, with uncertainty still remaining over his current fitness.
Scan planned
Arsenal are set to conduct a scan for Bukayo Saka on Thursday to check the severity of his most recent injury concern, reports the Daily Mail. The youngster is facing a day-to-day assessment of his issue to his hamstring, with a potential timeline of two weeks out at a minimum.
Arteta update
Arteta has provided an update on Saka’s injury following his side’s Champions League defeat to RC Lens. Speaking to TNT Sports, the Spaniard said: “It wasn’t an action, it was a back heel and he felt something and he wasn’t comfortable to continue.”
When asked if he knew how severe the issue was, Arteta simply shook his head. If Saka is out, it will be a huge blow to the Gunners ahead of what is undoubtedly their biggest Premier League game of the season. Arteta also spoke to TV Sport 2 where his diagnosis of Saka’s injury was far more worrying.
The Gunners manager said: “It doesn’t look good.”
Lens blow
Saka fell to the floor mid-way through the first half of Arsenal’s Champions League defeat to RC Lens which eventually saw him replaced by Fabio Vieira. The Hale End academy graduate was a doubt heading into the game after picking up a knock against Bournemouth but he started the game in France.
However, Saka’s evening lasted just 33 minutes after he dropped to the floor holding his hamstring. Moments earlier the 22-year-old had gestured to Arsenal boss Arteta that he was feeling a slight issue before making his way off the pitch.
Cryptic post hints at injury return
Bukayo Saka has posted a cryptic message to Instagram as Arsenal face an anxious wait over his fitness ahead of Premier League clash against Bournemouth. The England international limped off against Tottenham in the North London Derby last weekend sparking fears that he could be sidelined for a number of weeks.
Saka has now posted a picture of himself inside a gym on his Instagram story – suggesting he is actively working on his fitness ahead of the trip to Bournemouth this weekend. It’s unclear whether the England international is doing recovery work or is fully fit and ready to return to training.
Arteta admits Bournemouth doubt
Saka is a doubt for Arsenal’s Premier League fixture against Bournemouth this weekend, Arteta has confirmed. Speaking ahead of the Gunners’ Carabao Cup third-round tie against Brentford Arteta said: “He was limping quite badly after the match.
“We had to get him off the field. He hasn’t been able to participate in the session.
“It’s a possibility (he could miss Bournemouth).”
Major boost
Saka was in severe pain after taking a knock on his foot during Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Spurs. But thankfully for Mikel Arteta and Co, this is not thought to be anything serious, with the England winger recovering.
It seems unlikely that he will be risked for Wednesday evening’s Carabao Cup fixture against Brentford, a match that Arteta is expected to rotate heavily for.
Mikel Arteta update
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has played down the talented youngster’s Achilles issue, claiming that most players have aches and pains at various times of the season.
“He’s fine, he trained normally today. There’s nothing to report,” the Spaniard said when asked about Saka.
He added: “Every player has pains or issues. But [there is] nothing to worry about.”
Southgate admission
England boss manager Gareth Southgate previously revealed the issue back in June following Saka ‘s unforgettable hattrick against North Macedonia.
Speaking about the youngster’s goals after that game, Southgate said: “We weren’t surprised by the first one, that’s how he’s been all week, we hadn’t seen the second one coming. I am delighted for him.
“He’s had a slightly sore Achilles and it’s another one where it would have been easy to lull out on the camp and miss out on a night like this that I’m sure will live with him forever.”
The Three Lions boss continued: “He’s had it for a few weeks. It is an injury that just needs managing… when you’ve had one of the best nights of your life, it’s a reminder that it’s worth going through these things.”
Sir Alex Ferguson warning
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has previously warned Saka and other youngsters that managers play an important role in protecting their players
As a 19-year-old Owen ruptured his hamstring back in 1999, an injury that would massively impact him later in his career. “I wish it had been a broken leg,” he told the Daily Mail. “The worst injury for me was a snapped hamstring because back then you didn’t operate, you just allowed them to reattach.
“I was running with two hamstring muscles in my right leg and three in my left for the rest of my career. It was a point of weakness
“I often wonder if it was just a freak injury. Until then I was solid as a rock, never missed a game. Sir Alex Ferguson always says if I’d signed for Manchester United as a kid it wouldn’t have happened, he would’ve protected me.”
