Arsenal could be without Bukayo Saka for weeks after the winger picked up an injury while representing England.
Just one month after Martin Ødegaard suffered an ankle injury on international duty, Saka sustained what appeared to be a hamstring injury in England's UEFA Nations League match against Greece. The 23-year-old pulled up shortly before Vangelis Pavlidis scored the game's opening goal and was forced to come off the pitch in the 52nd minute.
After the match, England interim boss Lee Carsley said, "He's being assessed. In the build up to the first goal, you can see he felt something in his leg."
Saka received attention from the training staff on the pitch before limping to the sideline. With seven huge matches for Arsenal, including Premier League fixtures against Liverpool and Chelsea, coming in the span of four weeks, losing the team's best playmaker would be a major blow to the Gunners' title aspirations.
Here's the latest on Saka's injury.
When Will Bukayo Saka Return From Injury?
Both Arsenal and England have not provided a definitive diagnosis or timetable for Saka's injury. The winger is set to undergo further tests and scans before the extent of his issue and possible layoff is revealed.
If the problem turns out to be a serious hamstring injury, then Saka is looking at six weeks on the sidelines. Liverpool's Alisson suffered a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace on Oct. 5 and the goalkeeper is not due back until mid-November.
Saka could miss Premier League matches against Bournemouth, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Chelsea. He would also be unavailable for Champions League fixtures against Shakhtar Donetsk and Inter Milan. Weaved into the hectic schedule is also an EFL Cup match with Preston.
If Saka avoids the worst case scenario, the winger could only miss Arsenal's matches against Bournemouth and Shakhtar Donetsk. Of course, the goal would be to have the England international back by the Liverpool game on Oct. 27 should the injury be nothing more than a minor problem.
One thing is for certain, though—Saka will miss England's next UEFA Nations League match against Finland on Oct. 13.
Potential Bukayo Saka Replacements for Arsenal
Replacing Saka at Arsenal is virtually impossible. The 23-year-old currently leads the Premier League in assists with seven in as many matches. He is one of the best right-wingers in Europe, let alone the EPL. Mikel Arteta can move several players to the front line, but none are natural replacements for the England international.
When Saka missed time for Arsenal last season, Arteta started Gabriel Martinelli in his place. Although the 23-year-old prefers the left-wing, he has experience on the right for both club and country. Martinelli already has two goals and two assists for the Gunners in seven EPL appearances and knows how to play next to Kai Havertz.
Raheem Sterling is another option for Arteta. Last season alone, the 29-year-old made 11 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea on the right-wing. Sterling gives Arteta a versatile winger with experience playing against the best clubs in the Premier League. Since coming to Arsenal, though, Sterling has yet to get off the mark in the EPL. He did bag a goal and assist against Bolton in the EFL Cup.
Gabriel Jesus got the nod on the right-wing when Saka missed Arsenal's first clash with Manchester City last season, but the Brazilian has failed to impress in his limited minutes this season. Starting the striker against teams like Liverpool and Chelsea seems unlikely.
The full picture for Arsenal's future with or without Saka will become much clearer once the club gives an official update on his injury.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bukayo Saka Injury: Progress & Potential Return Date for Arsenal Winger.
