Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka hobbled off late on against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Bukayo Saka was able to make a telling impact for Arsenal in the North London Derby, as he provided the assist for Gabriel Magalhaes’ winning goal.
However, Arsenal fans will have been fearing the worst when they saw him taken off before the final whistle. After all, the last thing Mikel Arteta needs at this point is another injury to contend with.
The Gunners are already dealing with something of an injury crisis. The likes of Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori, and Mikel Merino, amongst others, were all missing against Spurs. On top of that, Declan Rice was also sidelined with suspension.
Arteta has admitted that the Arsenal absences caused him to lose sleep ahead of this fixture. However, the Spanish coach was still able to put together a team and gameplan capable of securing all three points on the road against their bitter rivals.
Arsenal have now beaten Tottenham away from home three times on the spin, a feat that not even Arsene Wenger was able to achieve during his lengthy stint in charge of the North London club.
As the derby day celebrations subside, though, Arteta will be hoping that Saka’s knock was nothing too serious.
Arsenal given Bukayo Saka injury update after Tottenham Hotspur
Journalist Simon Collings has now provided an update on the 23-year-old Hale End academy graduate that will allay many Arsenal fans’ fears.
Reporting on X, he revealed that: “Bukayo Saka was forced off with cramp against Tottenham.”
Furthermore, there is: “Optimism he will be fine for big games with Atalanta and Manchester City this week.”
The Gunners are due to get their Champions League campaign underway against Atalanta this week, before taking on reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday.
Arteta wouldn’t want to be without Saka for either fixture.
Will Mikel Arteta risk Saka against Atalanta and Manchester City?
Whilst Saka may well be fit to face Atalanta, there is an argument that he ought to be rested for this match in any case.
Arteta has other options he could consider deploying in this part of the pitch. Gabriel Jesus has played on the right flank before, whilst Raheem Sterling is still waiting for his first Arsenal start, having made his debut for the club as a substitute against Spurs yesterday.
It is vital that Saka is fit and firing on all cylinders in time to take on Manchester City, in a match that could already have ramifications for the title race, despite coming so early in the campaign.
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