Bukayo Saka Faces Eight Weeks Out With Thigh Injury

Bukayo Saka is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks after sustaining a thigh injury during Arsenal's Champions League match against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. The 25-year-old winger was forced off the pitch just ten minutes into the game.

This latest injury marks Saka's 11th since September 2024, and follows a period where he played through an Achilles issue during the World Cup. Following the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta acknowledged the demanding nature of modern football schedules.

"Well, it's certainly been different in the last year or so and obviously the demands that we are putting to every player are immense," Arteta stated. "The amount of games, the intensity of those matches, the international competitions, the times as well between games are getting narrower."

Arteta highlighted the short turnaround between matches, noting, "So you go less than 66, 67 hours between games. On top of everything that we are putting every hour is important. If they (football authorities) can support all the demands that we are putting to the players in that sense, that would be as well really appreciated from everybody. And I'm saying for every team as well, because we know what we are demanding from those players."

Regarding Saka's specific injury, Arteta mentioned that the player was scheduled for an MRI scan to determine the full extent of the problem. "He's got another MRI this afternoon because he had quite a lot of fluid in the area so it was difficult to understand the extent of the injury. We will know more probably tomorrow," he said. "Again, we need a few more scans and opinions from the specialists. Obviously when a player has to walk off the pitch, he is struggling to walk without any pain, he's restricted to movement, they are not good signs."

Despite concerns about the player's injury record, Arteta rejected the idea that Saka might suffer career burnout. "I don't have that feeling at all," he stated. "But certainly what we have to be very mindful of is to create the right ecosystem around the player to fulfil all his qualities. And we really need to understand now when he comes back, whenever that is, how we are going to manage that load again."