Bukayo Saka is facing up to two months on the sidelines after sustaining a quad injury in Arsenal's Champions League draw with Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. The 25-year-old was forced off after just 10 minutes of the match, and manager Mikel Arteta has admitted the injury "did not look good."
Arteta Provides Injury Update
Speaking at a press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of Arsenal's home match against Everton, Arteta did not put a firm timeframe on Saka's return, but there are fears he will be out for eight weeks. Saka was able to leave the stadium without crutches after the Bayern game, but Arteta revealed the winger is still struggling.
"He's got another MRI this afternoon because he had quite a lot of fluid in the area so it was difficult to understand the extent of the injury," Arteta said at his pre-Everton press conference on Friday. "We will know more tomorrow. We need a few more scans and opinions from the specialists. When a player is struggling to walk without any pain, he's restricted in movement, they are not good signs. Let's be a little bit patient so we can gave a definitive assessment."
Impact on Arsenal's Squad
The injury leaves Arteta with a headache in a hectic run of fixtures, with Arsenal already short of options on the wing. Christos Tzolis is still out with a hamstring injury, further limiting the manager's choices.
The Gunners have five more matches to play before the November international break, including a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool. If the eight-week timeline is accurate, Saka will not be back before Christmas, potentially missing games against Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Tottenham and Real Madrid.
Fixtures Saka Could Miss
Arsenal fixtures Saka could miss include Everton (H) on October 24, Fleetwood (A) on October 27, Liverpool (A) on November 1, Slavia Prague (A) on November 4, Hull (H) on November 7, Newcastle (A) on November 21, Borussia Dortmund (H) on November 24, Man City (H) on November 29, Brentford (A) on December 2, Tottenham (A) on December 6, Real Madrid (H) on December 9, Bournemouth (H) on December 13, and potentially returning against Manchester United (H) on December 20.
