Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has avoided a serious hamstring injury while Martin Ødegaard could be back fit as soon as this weekend, according to a new report.
The talismanic Gunners duo, who either scored or created 42 goals between them last season, both hobbled off during Saturday’s 5–0 thumping of Leeds United. Ødegaard was the first to make way after landing awkwardly on his shoulder before Saka followed him down the tunnel clutching his hamstring.
Mikel Arteta was without his star pairing for a combined 38 games last season, which undoubtedly contributed to Arsenal’s diminished attacking return as they failed to push Liverpool in a one-sided title race.
After concerns that Saka’s injury was “significant,” reports emerged on Sunday claiming that initial scans suggested the damage was not as severe as first feared. A new briefing from BBC Sport on Monday claimed that Saka would miss a maximum of four weeks, ruling the fleet-footed winger out of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Liverpool and England’s two internationals in September.
If Saka is out for a full month, he will also be sidelined for Arsenal’s league visit from Nottingham Forest on Sep. 13 and the club’s first match of the new Champions League season, which will be the following midweek. Saka’s loosely pencilled in return fixture would be a hefty clash with Manchester City at the Emirates on Sep. 21.
Ødegaard left Saturday’s thrashing with his arm in a sling but hasn’t even been ruled out of making this weekend’s crucial trip to Anfield. If Arsenal’s skipper is unavailable for an away fixture against the club he grew up supporting as a boy in Norway, the expectation is that he will be fit again for the first league fixture after the international break.
Unlike last season, when the absences of Saka and Ødegaard loomed over every applicable outing, Arteta has more attacking options at his disposal. Noni Madueke serves as a ready-made replacement for Saka on the right wing while Ethan Nwaneri admirably filled in for his captain on Saturday.
Arsenal could alternatively turn towards their latest summer recruit Eberechi Eze, who is comfortable out wide or in an attacking midfield role.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Arsenal Learn Return Dates for Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard.