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Arsenal have been dealt a major injury blow after Mikel Arteta revealed a “really emotional” Bukayo Saka has been ruled out for “many weeks” with a hamstring tear.
Saka, 23, left Selhurst Park on crutches after he went down in the first half of Arsenal’s 5-1 win at Crystal Palace holding his right leg on Saturday.
And the England international, who has scored nine times and created 12 goals in the Premier League and Champions League so far this season, now faces a sustained period on the sidelines.
“It’s not looking good,” said Arteta about his star man. “He’s going to be out for many weeks. I cannot be too specific because I don’t know, but it will be many weeks.
“It’s a huge blow. He’s obviously a big player for us and you just have to see the impact that he has had on the team. But it’s going to be a really good exercise for us to think of ways to overcome another challenge because we’ve had a lot over the season.”
Saka’s injury comes at a pivotal time in Arsenal’s campaign with nine fixtures in January – including an FA Cup third-round clash against Manchester United and the opening leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle – following their final game of 2024 against Ipswich at the Emirates on Friday.
In a secondary blow to Arteta, the Spaniard also said he will be without Raheem Sterling – the obvious back-up option for Saka – for a lengthy period after the on-loan Chelsea winger suffered a knee injury prior to Arsenal’s win at Palace.
“He (Sterling) is going to be out for weeks I believe,” said Arteta. “He needs further testing tomorrow (Tuesday) to understand the extent of his injury. Unfortunately he’s going to be out for a while.”
Arteta insisted Saka – who has missed only seven league matches in the past three-and-a-half seasons – would be back before the conclusion of the campaign. But he admitted his player is struggling to come to terms with the setback.
“He (Saka) was gutted,” continued Arteta. “You can tell that he has not been injured because he was really, really emotional and really down.
“And we need to lift him up. It is a big part of his job. He will be fine but he is going to need a few days.
“He will immediately realise that he is so important in that dressing room. His energy level, his body language, and how he communicates with the rest of the team has to be really good because it is the only way at the moment he can help, so he better do that well.”
The injuries to both Saka and Sterling leave Arsenal exposed on the right-hand side. Gabriel Martinelli could switch from the left wing – as he did at Crystal Palace following Saka’s withdrawal – while Gabriel Jesus has also operated on the right.
However, following Jesus’ recent goal glut, Arteta might prefer that the Brazilian remains as a number nine. And the Spaniard did not rule out moving into the transfer market to find cover for Saka and Sterling.
“I don’t know,” he replied when asked if he will look to sign a winger next month. “My intention right now is to get the best out of what we have. What is outside is not in our control.
“The preparation is done and we are ready if something happens. Obviously we didn’t predict a situation with Bukayo and Raheem at the same time. We predicted more that it would be if something happened in the defensive line.
“If something has to happen, we will be open. But the main focus is now and how we can extract a lot of potential from this squad.”
The Gunners head into Christmas sitting third in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Liverpool, having played a match more.
