Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided an update on Bukayo Saka’s injury, which was sustained during his time with the England national team.
Fortunately, Arteta has clarified that the injury is “not serious,” meaning Saka might be fit to play against Bournemouth this weekend.
The Gunners are currently unbeaten in their first seven Premier League games but face several injury issues ahead of the match.
Martin Odegaard, the club captain, is expected to miss out until November due to an ankle problem. Both Gabriel Martinelli and Saka were injured during the international break.
“He is not going to be fit for this game,” Arteta said during a press conference on Friday. “Next week will be a different story. He needs to clear some markers. Next week will be crucial to understand how close he is.”
Saka limped off during England’s loss to Greece, but Arteta remains optimistic about his availability for the Bournemouth game, stating, “It is not a serious injury. He is evolving really well. He has done a few things in the last two days. We are hopeful. Let’s see if he can make it on time.”
Regarding Martinelli, Arteta added, “He landed yesterday afternoon. Again, today will be another step.”
In other injury news, Thomas Partey and Kai Havertz both withdrew from international duty earlier in the month, but Arteta confirmed that Partey is fit to play.
Havertz’s absence from the Germany squad was more precautionary, and Arteta mentioned that his participation depends on how well he trains: “He had a few issues. We’ve been dealing with that. If he trains well today, he has got a good chance.”
Arteta also touched on the struggles of Benjamin White, Jurrien Timber, and Oleksandr Zinchenko, commenting, “They are quite close the three of them. Today we’ll have to push. We are struggling a bit with the numbers, especially in our right side.”
Japanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has yet to make an appearance for Arsenal this season due to injury. Arteta noted that Tomiyasu picked up “something else,” though he doesn’t believe it will keep him out for an extended period.
Arteta also spoke about Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as the new England manager, calling him “one of the best coaches in the world without a doubt… Very exciting times.” He added that some Arsenal players responded positively to the news, saying, “I spoke to a few of the players, straight away they had a smile on their faces. That’s always a good sign.”
Finally, Arteta confirmed that he was not among the ten managers contacted by FA chief executive Mark Bullingham regarding the England job.
