Arsenal sweat as Saka leaves England team with injury

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has officially withdrawn from the England national team due to injury. The 23-year-old winger was last seen limping off of the pitch during a recent matchup with Greece.

Saka was substituted in the 51st minute of the Nations League fixture. Greece went on to shock England 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Vangelis Pavlidis.

After initial tests on the lower leg issue, Saka has returned to Arsenal for additional assessment. As a result, the star will miss England’s trip to Finland. The Three Lions finish out their international break against the Eagle-Owls on Sunday, October 13th.

Results from the scans at the North London club are not yet known. Arsenal, however, will resume their 2024/25 season with a trip to the South Coast next weekend. Bournemouth hosts the Gunners in a Premier League matchup on Saturday, October 19th. It remains to be seen if their star player can be fit enough for the fixture.

Saka has featured heavily for club and country in recent years

The setback comes as several international players have publicly griped about increasing schedules. Manchester City superstar Rodri recently claimed that players may eventually go on strike to combat fixture congestion. Several other prominent players then backed up Rodri’s assertion.

The midfielder subsequently suffered a major knee injury just days later. As a result, the Spaniard will miss the remainder of the campaign.

Not only are more and more matches taking place, but Saka, in particular, has featured heavily in recent years. Despite being just 23, the Arsenal star already has 42 total England caps. He has been the starting right-winger in each of his national team’s last 10 total games. Seven of these appearances came during Euro 2024.

Saka also plays most matches for Arsenal as well. In fact, the winger has been in manager Mikel Arteta’s starting lineup in 115 of the team’s last 121 Premier League games. His last appearance in the English top flight as a substitute came 18 months ago during a matchup against Leeds in April 2023.

Arteta has relied heavily on Saka due to his importance to the team. The star has racked up 43 goals and 34 assists in league play since the start of the 2021/22 season.

Arsenal are already dealing with injured captain

Saka’s setback comes just weeks after club captain Martin Odegaard also endured an injury while on international duty. The Norwegian midfielder has been out since early September with a nasty ankle issue.

Without their main playmaker in the middle of the pitch, Arsenal has lacked creativity at times in recent weeks.

Rumors have circulated that Odegaard apparently suffered a setback in his efforts to return to the pitch. These assertions, however, have since been debunked by Sky Sports.

Along with arguably their top two players, Arsenal also saw Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey recently withdraw from international duty this week. Nevertheless, the issues for the duo are not serious concerns. The Gunners will need a fully fit squad this season if they are to finally top Manchester City for the Premier League title.

Photo credit: IMAGO / PA Images.