Following his substitution in the 1-0 victory over Tottenham, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta gave an update on Bukayo Saka, and it might not be good news for Gunners fans.
In the north London derby, Arteta’s team won on the road thanks to a goal from Gabriel Magalhaes in the 68th minute. While the Gunners celebrated their victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Saka’s health was a cause for concern.
After receiving treatment, the winger had to be replaced because it looked like he had injured his thigh while pursuing a pass from Raheem Sterling.
The fact that captain Martin Odegaard is now out of action due to a hamstring injury he suffered while playing for Norway on international duty only makes Arsenal’s situation worse. In his post-game interview, Arteta acknowledged he didn’t fully understand Saka’s condition and expressed doubt about his health.
“I don’t know [the extent of the problem],” Arteta said. After making two adjustments to the front players, he collapses out of nowhere. I took a look at the bench and our available options, and we had to make adjustments.
“I don’t know exactly what it is, but he could not continue,” he continued. Saka’s injury will now be assessed by Arsenal’s medical staff to ascertain its severity.
Should his injury be serious, it could potentially overshadow yet another outstanding away performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Arsenal’s only loss thus far in the Premier League this year was a 1-1 draw with Brighton last month. They are still undefeated. Declan Rice was suspended for the Spurs game after he was controversially given a second yellow card for delaying the restart in that game.
His red card was based on two yellow cards, so the Premier League was unable to reverse it. All members of the league’s Key Match Incidents panel, however, concurred that referee Kavanagh made the right call in sending him off.
