Bukayo Saka is facing at least six weeks out with the quadriceps injury he suffered against Bayern Munich, and it could be as long as eight.
The winger had started every Premier League game this season before the problem struck in Munich, where he was forced off early.
That leaves Arsenal without their leading attacker for a big chunk of the autumn, with Manchester United at home on 20 December looking like the realistic target for his comeback.
Bukayo Saka injury: what Arteta said
Ahead of the Everton game, Mikel Arteta revealed Saka was having another MRI scan, because fluid in the area had made it difficult to understand the extent of the injury. The pain Saka has when he walks was, in Arteta’s words, “not good signs”.
“We need a few more scans and opinions from the specialists. When a player has to walk off the pitch, he is struggling to walk without any pain, and is restricted to movement; it is not a good sign. Let’s be a little bit patient so we can give a definitive assessment. He’s got another MRI as there was quite a lot of fluid in the area so it was quite difficult to understand the extent of the injury. We will know more tomorrow,” Arteta said.
How long will Bukayo Saka be out?
Arsenal haven’t released an official timescale yet. BBC Sport reported that the club fear Saka could be out for up to eight weeks, with medics estimating after early examinations that he will miss a minimum of six weeks, and possibly longer.
A six-to-eight-week absence would keep him out until somewhere between early and mid-December.
The games Bukayo Saka could miss
| Absence | Games Saka would miss |
|---|---|
| Six weeks | Everton, Fleetwood Town, Liverpool, Slavia Prague, Hull City, Newcastle United, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Brentford |
| Eight weeks | All of the above, plus Tottenham, Real Madrid and Bournemouth |
| Target return | Manchester United at the Emirates, 20 December |
Who replaces Bukayo Saka?
Noni Madueke is expected to move to the right, with Eberechi Eze on the left and Max Dowman the first wide option off the bench. If the absence stretches into December, Arsenal could also look at recalling Ethan Nwaneri from his loan when the January window opens.
Author Opinion
There’s never a good time to lose Saka, but this is a particularly cruel one. Liverpool, Newcastle, Dortmund and Manchester City all fall inside the six-week window, and if it stretches to eight, Spurs and Real Madrid come into play too.
The positive is that Arsenal have options this time. Madueke, Eze and Dowman give Arteta enough to cope, and the club are right not to rush him. Saka is too important to this title defence to risk a setback, and a fit Saka for the run-in matters far more than a rushed one in November.
