Arteta Confirms Saka Injury Blow

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that Bukayo Saka suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s North London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur.

The 19-year-old has been a shining light for the Gunners with six goals and six assists in all competitions this season, but he had to be withdrawn at half time against Spurs as Nicolas Pepe took his place.

Saka’s absence did not affect the Gunners as they claimed a deserved 2-1 win on their own turf, but Arteta admitted that there was some concern over the youngster after the final whistle.

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Speaking to reporters after the game, the Arsenal boss said: “We don’t know [how bad it is]. He was feeling his hamstring.”

While the extent of Saka’s injury is yet to be determined, it would be a surprise to see him turn out on Thursday for the second leg of the Gunners’ Europa League last-16 battle with Olympiacos.

Tottenham did not come out of the game unscathed either, as Son Heung-min was forced off with an issue in the same area after just 19 minutes of Sunday’s defeat in the capital.

On a day where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also dropped from the starting XI due to disciplinary reasons, goals in either half from Martin Odegaard and Alexandre Lacazette saw Arsenal claim the bragging rights over Spurs, despite Erik Lamela’s impressive rabona.