Mikel Arteta has vowed to make Bukayo Saka “stronger” after the Arsenal winger’s fresh hamstring injury, as well as “learn” why it happened in a bid to protect him from similar setbacks in the future.
Saka missed four months of action during the second half of last season after undergoing hamstring surgery at the end of December. He was on course to smash the Premier League’s single season assist record at the time of the injury, but his absence arguably derailed Arsenal’s title bid.
The 23-year-old suffered two other thigh or muscle issues in 2024, as well as other small similar problems in 2023 and 2020.
Arteta admitted that Saka’s injuries are “obviously” a concern when speaking with reporters ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with reigning champions Liverpool, which Saka will miss after limping off last time out against Leeds United.
“Especially when we talk about a sprinter, a player that gets into that zone very often in a football match, that needs that burst, that change of rhythm, of pace, to be as threatening as possible,” he said. “We’ll learn again why it happened, and make him stronger.
“Unfortunately, injuries are part of your career. He hasn’t had that many, to be fair, with the amount of games that he’s played at his age. [But injuries are] something that we want to eradicate for sure.”
This time, Saka has avoided the need for any surgery to fix the problem, but is still expected to be “out for a few weeks” and isn’t guaranteed to back for the first game after the international break.
“It’s not as bad as the previous one,” Arteta explained. “Very unfortunate to pick it up because it’s on the other side. It’s an action that requires full power from him. Then, he clashes with the opponent, he needs to change pace again, and he felt something. So he will be out for a couple of weeks.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘We’ll Learn Why’—Mikel Arteta Admits Concern Over Bukayo Saka Injury Record.
