Mikel Arteta makes worrying Bukayo Saka injury admission ahead of Arsenal-Liverpool clash: 'Not good news'

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Evening Standard

·22 October 2024

Mikel Arteta makes worrying Bukayo Saka injury admission ahead of Arsenal-Liverpool clash: 'Not good news'

Saka has missed first two matches after the international break

Mikel Arteta has revealed Bukayo Saka remains a doubt to face Liverpool this weekend.

OneFootball Videos

The Arsenal winger picked up a hamstring injury during the international break and missed the match against Bournemouth on Saturday, as the Gunners suffered their first defeat of the season.

Saka did not train with his team-mates on Monday and was not been named in the squad to play Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, with Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli coming into the side.

"He wasn't able to do the session in the way that we wanted. He wasn't still feeling good so it wasn't good news,” Arteta told Prime Video when asked about Saka’s absence.

Arsenal take on Liverpool on Sunday in what is a crucial Premier League clash, but they could once again be forced to go into that encounter without Saka.

Asked if he expected to have Saka back for that match, Arteta was typically vague in his response. He said: "At the moment I'm not very helpful, but let's see. We still have a few days to do that."

The England star has made a superb start to the season, providing seven assists and scoring twice in his seven Premier League appearances, while he also scored against PSG in the Champions League.