Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is carrying 'nagging injury' – and could face spell on the sidelines: report

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Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has been nursing an injury of late, according to one report, with Mikel Arteta facing a big decision on his fitness

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Fulham FC at Emirates Stadium on August 26, 2023 in London, England.
(Image credit: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka could be set for a spell out of the team, with an injury still plaguing him from last season.

The England international is the only player to have featured in every single match of the last two Premier League seasons. Saka recently turned 22 and has played almost 200 senior fixtures for Arsenal. 

But the forward has been nursing a problem for a while now – and manager Mikel Arteta now faces a decision as to whether he persists with his superstar with such a hectic schedule coming up.

Mikel Arteta gestures to his team during a match

Mikel Arteta has made Bukayo Saka a permanent fixture in his side at a very young age (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Mail has claimed that Saka's omission from the starting lineup against Scotland this week was not just a result of rotation, with the winger struggling with an Achilles issue.

The Gunners have Everton away coming up at the weekend before their return to the Champions League next Wednesday at home to PSV. Tottenham follow in the North London Derby, then a tricky third-round League Cup fixture against Brentford. They also face Manchester City and Chelsea in October. 

Saka could well be rested for a few of the more winnable fixtures, especially in the League Cup. With Arsenal lacking a like-for-like backup for Saka, however, Arteta will have a decision to make over whether he persists with his first-choice right-winger for the next few weeks or rotates with someone like Reiss Nelson, who can also play in that position. 

Arsenal players celebrate Reiss Nelson's late winner against Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium in March 2023.

Reiss Nelson is the most likely candidate to replace Bukayo Saka (Image credit: Getty Images)

Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz and Fabio Vieira could all play on the right wing, too. 

Saka is valued to be worth €120 million by Transfermarkt. 

More Arsenal stories

Mikel Arteta has revealed the strange marriage metaphor he's used to motivate Kai Havertz. The Basque boss used another bizarre analogy recently to explain his tactics against Manchester City.

And the Gunners boss has had to defend Havertz already this season, notably after the 2-2 draw against Fulham.

Meanwhile, Brentford striker Ivan Toney has revealed he would be interested in a move to Arsenal in future.

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.