Mikel Arteta reveals extent of Bukayo Saka injury in blow to Arsenal’s title hopes

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Your help makes all of the distinction. Shut Learn extra Arsenal can be with out Bukayo Saka for at the very least two months, supervisor Mikel Arteta has revealed, in a significant blow to their Premier League title possibilities.

Saka went down in ache clutching his proper hamstring through the Gunners’ 5-1 win over Crystal Palace final weekend, and has now undergone surgical procedure on the torn muscle.

Arsenal moved again as much as second within the Premier League desk with a 1-0 victory over Ipswich on the Emirates on Friday night time, earlier than which Arteta had stated Saka, 23, could be sidelined for “many weeks”. However talking within the moments after his aspect noticed out a win that retains the strain on leaders Liverpool, Arteta afforded a grizzlier timeframe for his star man.

“He has had a process and all the things went effectively, however sadly he can be out for a lot of, many weeks,” he stated. “It is going to be greater than two months. I don’t know precisely how for much longer. It'll rely upon how the scar tissue begins to heal, the primary week or so, and the mobility of that. It is extremely troublesome to say.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/28/10/2190989503.jpg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/28/10/2190989503.jpg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/28/10/2190989503.jpg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="Bukayo Saka holds his hamstring in pain as Selhurst Park" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 iSVhwZ inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

Bukayo Saka holds his hamstring in ache as Selhurst Park (Getty Photos) “The substitute of Bukayo goes to be the group. There have been moments the place it flowed effectively tonight and moments the place you could possibly see there's nonetheless work to do. However I'm sure that we're going to try this. Now we have to depend on the group and never the person.”

The size of Saka’s damage will come as a big blow to Arteta, who's bidding to supervise Arsenal’s first Premier League title in twenty years.

In Saka’s absence, and within the Gunners’ ultimate fixture of 2024, Kai Havertz scored the sport’s sole purpose halfway by the opening interval.

Gabriel, Havertz and Martin Odegaard all spurned possibilities to extend Arsenal’s lead within the second interval, however their victory takes them again to inside six factors of leaders Liverpool – having performed one match greater than the Reds – and some extent away from Chelsea following their Boxing Day defeat to Fulham.

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Kai Havertz scored the sport’s solely purpose (John Walton/PA) Arteta continued: “I'm very proud of the victory and the clear sheet and large elements of the sport. They're troublesome opposition and we're taking part in so many video games. You see that groups are successful from small margins. Right now we might have made that margin greater however we didn’t and we held our nerve in the previous few minutes to defend effectively.

“We must always have scored extra. We had large openings within the second half, the large header of Gabriel from one yard, however the group was constant and conceded nothing and that's one thing that can at all times give us the prospect to win video games.”

Arsenal will subsequent be in motion towards Brentford on New Yr’s Day. Ipswich, who stay second from backside, three factors away from security, host Chelsea on Monday night time.

Ipswich suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat at dwelling to Newcastle within the fixture which preceded their journey to the Emirates, and this marked their fifth loss from six video games.

“It was step again in the precise course for us,” stated boss Kieran McKenna. “We didn’t hit our ranges towards Newcastle. We knew at this time we needed to be resilient and we did that.”