Arsenal fear Bukayo Saka could miss a minimum of six weeks with the quadriceps injury he sustained in their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich. The 25-year-old will undergo an MRI scan on Friday afternoon to better assess the problem, which forced him off in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena.
Fluid around the affected muscle has made the injury difficult to diagnose. However, club medics estimate, after early examinations, that Saka will miss at least six weeks, and the absence could be even longer. If those early concerns are realised, he will miss a clutch of key games for the Gunners, as well as England’s forthcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain.
“We need a few more scans and opinions from the specialists,” said Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta. “When a player has to walk off the pitch, he is struggling to walk without any pain, and is restricted to movement; it is not a good sign. Let’s be a little bit patient so we can give a definitive assessment.”
Arteta added: “He’s got another MRI as there was quite a lot of fluid in the area so it was quite difficult to understand the extent of the injury. We will know more tomorrow.”
Saka will miss Saturday’s home Premier League match against Everton. Second-placed Arsenal will hope to close a three-point gap on leaders Manchester City.
A Season of Fitness Setbacks
The Arsenal academy product has battled fitness issues in recent months. His game time was managed at the end of last season, as well as with England at the World Cup, because of an Achilles injury he suffered in March. He missed the March international break and seven games for the Gunners, but returned to help them lift the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years.
Saka started the Champions League final defeat by Paris St-Germain but was substituted after 54 minutes. He started only three of England’s eight games at the World Cup, scoring a hat-trick in the 6-4 third-place win over France. He also underwent surgery on a hamstring injury he picked up in December 2024, which kept him out for 101 days in the 2024-25 campaign.
Despite a stop-start season, he made 49 appearances as Arsenal won the title last term. Beyond the Achilles problem, Saka pulled out of a January game against Leeds with a hip injury sustained in the warm-up, while a hamstring problem also kept him out for about four weeks.
Question Marks Over Saka’s Robustness
The need for follow-up scans, and the prospect of being out for up to eight weeks, is a major blow for Arteta and Arsenal. The Gunners boss had recently spoken about how Saka was adapting his positioning to become more of a regular goalscorer. The winger has scored four goals in 11 appearances so far this season.
Now, with another muscle injury, questions are being raised about whether Saka still has the robustness that made him a certain starter in the Arsenal team. He had Achilles, hip and hamstring problems last season, and he underwent surgery on a hamstring injury the previous season that kept him out for 101 days.
Arteta acknowledged that Saka’s robustness and availability has “certainly been different in the last year or so,” and the player’s game time was also managed at the World Cup this summer with England.
Limited Options in Attack
Arsenal tried to sign a world-class forward to strengthen their frontline in the summer but were unable to do so, with unsuccessful pursuits of Vinicius Jr and Julian Alvarez. They did bring in Greece international Christos Tzolis, but he is currently injured too.
That leaves Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and 16-year-old Max Dowman as the alternative wing options. Dowman has had limited minutes this season, but Arteta spoke glowingly of his talent and his ability to impact matches.