GOODNEWS for Arsenal fans as Club Medical team announce when Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will return from injury amid Manchester city clash
The 22-year-old limped out of Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat in the Champions League in the 34th minute, clutching his thigh before heading straight down the tunnel.
Saka has failed to finish the last three matches in a row, though manager Mikel Arteta said afterwards that his latest issue was unrelated to the knock he picked up against Bournemouth at the weekend.
According to the Daily Mail, Saka underwent an initial scan on Wednesday and the injury is not considered to be a serious one at this stage.
That said, he remains a significant doubt for both the City clash on Sunday as well as England’s upcoming international matches.
Saka will undergo further medical tests on Thursday but has not been ruled out of the showdown with City just yet, with the Gunners still hopeful he will be able to play some part in the contest.
The best case scenario for Saka is that he has only suffered a painful dead leg, though it would still represent a risk to play him against City.
His chances of being involved are being judged on a ‘day-to-day basis’ and Arteta will wait until the very last minute to make a decision on his participation.
The Telegraph are a little more pessimistic about Saka’s chances of playing and are reporting that he has likely suffered a hamstring strain.
The severity of the strain will determine whether or not he can play against City, as well as the risks involved in rushing him back so soon.
Saka has already been playing with a thigh injury and there could be fears that he exacerbates both issues.
Asked about Saka’s injury following the defeat to Lens, Arteta told TNT Sports: ‘It was an action, a backheel, and he felt something in this specific action. It was nothing else. Obviously he wasn’t comfortable to continue.’
