Bukayo Saka is likely to be sidelined for several weeks with an injury to his right hamstring.
The Arsenal forward looked uncomfortable and used crutches when leaving Selhurst Park on Saturday night, after signalling that he wanted to be substituted in the 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace.
Saka will miss Arsenal’s game against Ipswich Town in the league on Friday, which is the first of ten matches the club play across all competitions before the end of January. They also play Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa among five other league matches, two Champions League group matches, Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, and Manchester United in the FA Cup third round.
Saka has scored 20 goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season
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Assuming it is a moderate hamstring injury, the typical recovery time is between four and six weeks. While Saka, 23, has often returned fairly quickly from injuries, the worry is that it is the third hamstring issue he has suffered during this campaign, while he also had a thigh problem last season.
He missed two matches for Arsenal in October, including the 2-0 defeat by Bournemouth, after feeling his right hamstring during England’s 2-1 defeat by Greece in the Nations League.
This season he has started 16 of 17 league matches and five of six Champions League matches, plus a third-round Carabao Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers in September. Last season he missed only three league matches, because of small muscle issues, after having set a club record of playing in 87 successive top-flight games.
Arteta may look to add to his depleted squad in the January transfer window
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Mikel Arteta has previously signalled that he is looking to strengthen when the January transfer window opens after losing a number of players to muscular injuries this season.
The Arsenal manager also said that Raheem Sterling, one of the potential back-ups for Saka, had suffered an unspecified injury in training. Arteta is also without Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu, all full backs.
Arsenal may secure a place in the top eight of the Champions League if they beat Dynamo Zagreb at home next month, meaning they could rest players for the final match away to Girona, four days before they host Manchester City in the league.
