Arteta Fears Worst As Saka Undergoes Fresh Injury Scans Ahead Of Everton Clash
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has expressed serious concerns over Bukayo Saka’s fitness ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Everton, revealing that the England international requires further scans to determine the extent of the injury he suffered against Bayern Munich.
Saka lasted just 10 minutes during Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League encounter before being forced off with a suspected quadriceps injury, raising fears that Arsenal could be without one of their most influential attacking players for an extended period.
The 25-year-old winger appeared to suffer the problem immediately after delivering a long-range pass and signalled to the Arsenal bench for assistance.
Despite receiving treatment on the pitch, he was unable to continue and was replaced by Eberechi Eze.
Arteta initially admitted after the European encounter that the injury did not look encouraging, and his latest comments at Friday’s pre-match press conference offered little reassurance.
“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 explained.
“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 give a definitive assessment.”
The Arsenal boss had already expressed concern immediately after Saka’s early withdrawal against Bayern.
“We are a bit concerned. Whenever a player has to come off with sharp pain, it’s never good news, but we’ll have to wait and see,” he said.
The development represents another worrying injury setback for Saka, who has struggled with several muscular problems in recent seasons after previously establishing himself as one of Arsenal’s most durable performers.
Between 2021 and 2023, the England international started 87 consecutive matches for the Gunners, demonstrating remarkable consistency and fitness.
However, his injury record has become increasingly troublesome since undergoing hamstring surgery towards the end of 2024.
Another hamstring problem sidelined him for four weeks early last season, while a hip injury subsequently forced him to miss three matches in January.
He also missed five games in April because of Achilles tendinitis before returning to help Arsenal secure the Premier League title.
The Achilles problem affected his preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he started only two of England’s seven matches, although he subsequently scored a hat-trick in the third-place play-off.
