Tottenham legend makes ‘perfect’ claim about Arsenal amid Bukayo Saka injury concern

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Arsenal cruised to victory against Crystal Palace however, it wasn’t all rosy for the Gunners at Selhurst Park.

Mikel Arteta matched Jose Mourinho’s London derby record by leading Arsenal on an unbeaten streak in derbies in 2024.

The Spaniard will be delighted with his side’s performance against Palace, scoring five goals on the road to end their open-play lull.

While it was a five-star display from the Gunners, there was some concern regarding the fitness of Bukayo Saka.

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Les Ferdinand makes Bukayo Saka injury claim

After only 24 minutes, Saka was forced to be withdrawn due to sustaining what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

After the win, Arteta confirmed that Saka was in pain, leading to the winger being taken off early during Arsenal’s win.

Concern grew as Saka was spotted on crutches after the fixture, leading fans to think the worst.

While Arsenal supporters are naturally concerned about the 23-year-old, one figure had an opposing view.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Spurs icon Les Ferdinand claimed that Saka’s possible time on the sidelines is actually a good thing for the Hale End graduate.

“The perfect time for him [Saka] to get injured would be now,” Ferdinand claimed.

“If he’s going to be out for any spell it’d be over this Christmas period because look at the games they’ve got coming up, no Champions League gives them a bit of time to rest.”

The Spurs legend then went on to explain his belief that Saka needs a rest, supporting his claim that now is the time for the winger to be sidelined.

“We talk about players playing a lot of games, I think he hasn’t had a period where he’s been out for a length of time so if he’s out for a bit of time now, it’ll put him in good stead for when it kicks in January and February time.”

The Arsenal games that Saka could miss due to injury

While an injury expert suggested that Saka could be out for weeks, there remains hope that the forward experienced a minor twinge.

However, if the early suggestion was correct, then Arsenal could be without their star player for a number of important fixtures. 

When looking ahead to the Gunners’ next five games, there are crucial match-ups in a range of competitions.

If the academy graduate were to miss a number of matches, Arteta could be looking at a number of players to replace Saka sufficiently. 

The ideal scenario would be that the winger is fit and ready to challenge over what could be a season-defining festive period.