Arteta Gives Injury Update On Star Player Saka And Others
Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the Premier League season on Saturday, losing 2-0 to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
The Gunners were hampered by William Saliba’s first-half red card following a VAR review for a late foul on Bournemouth forward Evanilson.
The north London side were dealt with a major blow before kick-off when star player Bukayo Saka was ruled out with an injury picked up during international play. The 23-year-old, who has three goals and seven assists this season, was unable to recover in time for the trip to the south coast.
In Saka’s absence, Chelsea loanee Raheem Sterling started but his presence diminished. Sterling was substituted in the 36th minute as Arsenal changed their formation to accommodate Saliba’s refusal. Despite the early start, Sterling hopes to get more opportunities in the coming weeks despite Saka being fully fit.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed a positive attitude towards Saka’s injury ahead of the match:
“It’s not a serious injury. He’s evolving really well. He wasn’t fit enough for the national team’s second game, but we are hopeful. He did some bits yesterday, so we’ll see if he can make it on time,” Arteta told reporters.
In addition to Saka’s absence, Arteta made two other changes to the starting line-up. Mikel Merino made his full Premier League debut, replacing Jorginho in midfield, while Ben White returned to the line-up in place of Gabriel Jesus.
Ryan Christie opened the scoring in the 70th minute. Arsenal conceded a penalty and Justin Kluivert converted it to secure the win. They capitalized on Arsenal’s red card and nailed them down.
Going forward, Arteta has focused on the fitness of injured key defenders Ben White, Jurien Timber, and Oleksandr Zinchenko:
“They’re quite close, the three of them. We’re trying to push and see how they are. Hopefully, we’ll have some positive news and players back soon,” Arteta said.
Arsenal are looking forward to having their full squad back to training soon.
