England boss Gareth Southgate has given an update on the severity of Arsenal star Bukayo Saka's hip injury.
The versatile playmaker was a shining light in an overall disappointing campaign for the Gunners in the 2020/21 season, with Arsenal failing to qualify for Europe for the first time in 25 years.
Saka was a constant threat for Mikel Arteta's side last season, chipping in with seven goals and seven assists across all competitions to help earn him Arsenal player of the season for the 2020/21 campaign.
The 19-year-old saw his consistency rewarded by Southgate, who included Saka in his 26-man squad for the European Championships this summer.
The Englishman then featured for the Three Lions in their friendly in the 1-0 defeat of Austria on Wednesday, scoring his first international goal after he met a Jack Grealish pass to fire home from a tight angle.
However, Saka's momentum was halted by a hip injury which caused him to miss Sunday night's victory against Romania at the Riverside Stadium.
Southgate gave an update on Saka and confirmed that the injury was not a long-term one.
"A sort of minor hip flexor injury", he said after the win against Romania.
"We're hoping he should train by the middle of the week.
"We'll assess that day by day but not one that we're concerned about for the sort of mid-term anyway."
Some Arsenal fans have been concerned that Saka may be burnt out this summer - having played a total of 46 games for the Gunners.
He missed just two games through injury last term, coincidentally also suffering from a hip problem, which may suggest the issue is ongoing despite that initial knock coming all the way back in January.
Still, the fact the young starlet is set to recover in time for next week's opener with Croatia will be music to the ears of both Arsenal and England fans.
