Arsenal have been busy assessing injury concerns for both Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard after the pair picked up issues in the win over Leeds United.
The duo have been integral players to Mikel Arteta over the years, proven with Odegaard joining the list of Arsenal captains over the years, while Saka has often taken the armband in his absence.
Their quality is often missed when they aren’t available, which happened plenty last season, when injuries hit hard for the Gunners.
After just two matches in the new Premier League campaign, those availability problems are rearing their head once again.
This time, Saka and Odegaard have suffered injuries in the same match, having both been forced off during Arsenal’s win over Leeds United.
Fortunately, though, the problems may not be as bad as first feared.
Arsenal feel relieved about Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard injury scan results
Despite an impressive win at the Emirates Stadium over the weekend, there were plenty of Arsenal fans left fearful surrounding their key players.
Bukayo Saka was left clutching his hamstring again, leaving supporters harking back to his four-month lay off last season.
Martin Odegaard suffered a shoulder problem that he couldn’t quite shake off, having landed awkwardly during a challenge.
However, fortunately, it seems as though Saka and Odegaard will be ok, with only short-term absences expected.
The Hale End academy graduate is expected to miss three to four weeks of action, which isn’t ideal, but it certainly could have been worse.
The club captain could be available to face Liverpool, as the injury has been declared as not severe.
After those updates, journalist Charles Watts claims that Arsenal feel a “sense of relief” that the two injuries aren’t serious.
The upcoming international break does allow for a few extra weeks of recovery before the action gets underway again.
It remains to be seen how the pair are eased into action, but the transfer approach from Arsenal to bolster their squad seems the smart call now.
Arsenal squad need to step up with injury absences
Given how Arteta’s side have strengthened in the transfer window, it’s clear that the plan was to guard Arsenal against the injury issues of last season.
There has already been something of a build-up of problems, with Kai Havertz’s knee injury recently adding another name to the injured list.
Ben White is also out, alongside Gabriel Jesus and Christian Norgaard, as the total starts to rack up.
Such is the depth of the squad now that the bench hasn’t looked significantly weaker, and the options are available to replace players if needed.
Arsenal won’t want too many issues across the board this season, but they will be well prepared for them if they arrive.
That means the whole squad must step up and play their part, starting with the match against Liverpool up next.
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