Mikel Arteta breaks silence on Bukayo Saka injury fears after starring role for Arsenal
Mikel Arteta downplayed worries about Bukayo Saka’s fitness following his early departure during Arsenal’s 2-0 victory against Sevilla in the Champions League.
Despite being substituted, Saka scored a goal in front of England’s manager, Gareth Southgate, aiding Arsenal’s third win in Group B, edging closer to the last-16 stage.
During the match, Arteta replaced goal scorer Leandro Trossard and the impressive Gabriel Martinelli in the 81st minute.
Interestingly, Arteta chose to keep Saka on the field, but shortly after, Saka suffered an ankle injury, forcing him to leave the game while limping.
Looking ahead, Arsenal is scheduled to host Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday, coinciding with Southgate’s announcement of the England squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers against North Macedonia and Malta on Thursday.
Despite the concern, Arteta indicated that the six-goal forward should recover despite this recent injury setback.
He said: “At the end he wasn’t comfortable to carry on. Hopefully it’s not too much but I’m really pleased with his performance.
“I think he’s getting used to it (being kicked). I don’t think that’s going to change, especially with the way he plays and the way he attracts players, so he better get used to it because I don’t think it’s going to change.
“It was just a kick and I was told by the physios on the radio he wasn’t happy to continue. So he will have some discomfort but hopefully I am going to assume he will be OK.”
Mikel Arteta breaks silence on Bukayo Saka injury fears after starring role for Arsenal