Arsenal winger Saka out for ‘many weeks’ – Arteta

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says winger Bukayo Saka will miss “many weeks” with a hamstring injury.

The England attacker was forced off during Saturday’s 5-1 win against Crystal Palace and left Selhurst Park on crutches.

Saka, 23, has scored nine goals and provided 13 assists across 24 games in all competitions this season.

“It’s not looking good,” said Arteta. “He’s going to be out for many weeks.

“It is what it is. He’s injured, we cannot change it. We’re going to use this time now to help him.”

Arteta said he was “putting some ideas together” to deal with Saka’s absence and Arsenal had experience in coping without key players having lost captain Martin Odegaard to injury this season.

Asked whether Saka had “torn” something in his hamstring, Arteta replied: “Yes. Probably there are ways to prevent the injury.

“There are a lot of factors. We are looking at everything and what we can do differently.”

Arteta said Saka was “gutted” and “really emotional” after discovering the severity of his injury.

Asked if the congested fixture list had played a part in Saka’s injury, Arteta replied: “It’s probably more the accumulation [of matches] as people like Declan [Rice] and Bukayo have played over 130 games in three seasons.”

The Spanish coach also confirmed that Raheem Sterling is set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.

“He is going to be out for weeks,” said Arteta. “He needs some further testing tomorrow.”

The Gunners next face Ipswich at Emirates Stadium in the league on 27 December (20:15 GMT kick-off).

Since his debut in November 2018, Saka has made 250 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 67 goals and providing 63 assists.

He scored 20 goals in 47 appearances last season, accounting for 17.7% of the 120 goals Arsenal managed in all competitions.

This season that percentage has dropped slightly, with Saka having netted nine of the Gunners’ 56 goals (16.1%). He has assisted 10 of Arsenal’s 34 Premier League goals.

In Saka’s 250 Arsenal matches, they have won 143 (57.2%), drawn 50 and lost 57.

In the 73 matches Saka has missed since his debut, the Gunners have won 41 (56.2%), drawn 10 and lost 22.

There is no hiding from the fact that Bukayo Saka is one of Arsenal’s key players – if not the most important.

Since 2019, Saka has contributed 52 goals and 42 assists, the most of any Gunners player, with Gabriel Martinelli next on the list with 34 goals and 14 assists.

Gabriel Jesus has scored five goals in the last week and his return to form was already a welcome boost for Mikel Arteta, but keeping the Brazil forward firing has now taken on a new importance.

Martinelli deputised on the right wing for Arsenal when Saka went off against Crystal Palace and looks to be the player to fill the void for now.

Arteta has said the club are going to look internally for solutions and he has “some ideas” about how to deal with the loss of Saka, but accepted his side are going to be “different”.

The Gunners have previously been active in January – signing Leandro Trossard in the 2023 winter window after missing out on Mykhailo Mudryk.

Arteta has always said you have to be ready for anything in January and the upcoming window could be crucial for Arsenal as they look to keep their Premier League title challenge on track.