Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the season in France playing against Lens in the Champions League. They proceeded to lose their starboy, Saka after picking up an injury in the 34th minute, limping off the pitch. In a statement, Arteta said “He tried to backheel a ball in the first half, He felt something. It was muscular. He was uncomfortable and we had to take him off.
“We don’t know anything more than that. It was big enough not to allow him to play the rest of the game and that is a worry for us. It doesn’t look good.”
After playing 87 consecutive matches in the PL, Saka is in doubt to play against ManchesterCity on Sunday. This is because of the injury he picked last night in the game against Lens in the Champions League.
Saka has scorestarted this season pretty well, scoring 5 goals in all competition, and Arteta defended his decision of picking him in the last two games saying it was just a knock. He said “It was a knock that he had the other day and he was perfectly fine,” said Arteta. “It was a backheel, an action that can produce that kind of injury. Let’s see what the extent of it is, and afterwards it’s too late.
“The last few were more knocks than anything else. He hasn’t really missed games. We gave him a break against Brentford last week [in the EFL Cup] and that was all.”
Arsenal might face City in the Emirates without their starboy for the first time after setting a club record of 87 consecutive PL matches. Arteta has urged the team to put the Champions League defeat behind them and focus on the Manchester City game at the Emirates and try to stop the Premier League champions from taking the three points