Arsenal appear to have been offered fresh hope of Bukayo Saka potentially being fit to face Bournemouth when the Premier League returns next weekend.
The Gunners winger, who has made a superb start to the season, limped off early in the second half of England’s shock 2-1 home defeat by Greece in the Nations League at Wembley last Thursday night after sustaining a leg injury in the build-up to the visitors’ first goal.
A scan was planned for Saka on Friday as he withdrew from the Three Lions squad that travelled to Helsinki for Sunday’s 3-1 win over Finland, with Gunners fans fretting on the fitness of another key star hurt on international duty after captain Martin Odegaard suffered significant ankle ligament damage while away with Norway last month.
While a definitive update on Saka has yet to be shared by Arsenal, interim England boss Lee Carsley appears to have suggested that his injury is nothing serious after claiming that he would have been “close” to playing against Finland if he had stayed with the squad but did not want to take any risks.
“Bukayo would have been close [to playing vs Finland], but it would have been unfair to take a risk with him,” Carsley said ahead of Sunday’s match, in which Arsenal’s Declan Rice was among the goalscorers for England. “He’s a positive person and I expect him to be fine.”
Arsenal supporters will now hope that Saka has avoided an injury lay-off as Mikel Arteta’s side prepare to resume their top-flight campaign with a trip to face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday evening.
Standard Sport understands that Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey are expected to be fit for that visit to the south coast despite withdrawing from international duty with Germany and Ghana last week with a knee injury and illness respectively.
Arsenal will hope that the likes of defenders Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Oleksandr Zinchenko are also in contention to face Bournemouth, with Odegaard having yet to return.
Kieran Tierney is still injured and Cherries loanee Neto is unavailable to be involved against his parent club, meaning that either Tommy Setford or fellow teenager Jack Porter should provide back-up to first-choice goalkeeper David Raya.
Arsenal have made an unbeaten start to their latest title challenge and currently sit third in the table after seven games following a 3-1 home comeback win over struggling Southampton last time out, one point off early pacesetters Liverpool and behind defending champions Manchester City on goal difference.
The Gunners face a busy end to October following the season’s second international break, with Shakhtar Donetsk visiting the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League next week before a huge showdown with Liverpool and Carabao Cup last-16 meeting with Championship side Preston.
