Prior to their Premier League matchup with Burnley on Saturday, the Gunners manager has given the most recent information regarding the health of numerous members of his team.
Before Arsenal’s Premier League match against Burnley at the Emirates Staidum on Saturday, Mikel Arteta has given an update on the health of a number of his players. In Wednesday’s 2-0 Champions League victory over Sevilla, the Spaniard suffered a double blow as Takehiro Tomiyasu and Bukayo Saka were forced to leave the game due to injuries.
Saka seemed to land awkwardly when he leaped for a header, which resulted in his injury just minutes before the game ended. “It was just a kick and I was told by the physios on the radio he wasn’t happy to continue,” Arteta stated in the news conference that followed the game. “So he will have some discomfort but hopefully I am going to assume he will be OK.”
In the meantime, Oleksandr Zinchenko replaced Tomiyasu at halftime. Regarding the Japan international’s exit, Arteta stated, “He had some discomfort in the first half and we didn’t want to take any risks because he’s played a lot of minutes.” “Obviously with Alex on the bench ready to come in I think it was the right decision.”
A few players are still in the running for this weekend’s match against Burnley, Arteta acknowledged in his pre-match press conference. He stated, “We have a few.” “A few remain in the running. To give them a chance, we must give them another twenty-four hours. Nothing will be known to us till tomorrow.”
Since then, Saka has been called up to the England team for their forthcoming qualifying matches. Due to a hamstring injury, the 22-year-old missed the international window, but Arteta stated he is optimistic Saka will be able to play for the Three Lions.
“Hopefully not,” he responded when asked whether Saka will be able to skip England obligation. “We want our players to play for their club and their national team. B had to leave the pitch because he was in quite a lot of pain. He didn’t train yesterday. Let’s see if he can make it tomorrow.”
Eddie Nketiah and Martin Odegaard were absent for Arsenal going into the match against Sevilla. While the latter has been dealing with an ankle issue since last Saturday’s contentious 1-0 loss to Newcastle, the former has not been healthy since scoring a consolation goal in last week’s Carabao Cup loss to West Ham. Nketiah was not included in the most recent England squad, but Arteta clarified that this did not imply he would not play against Burnley on Saturday.
“I don’t know the real reason (why he was left out of the England squad),” he stated. “I am aware of his significance to Gareth. I am aware of Eddie’s importance to the national team and how much he has loved his recent adventures. I have no control over that decision.”
