Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Bukayo Saka will be out of action until at least March after undergoing surgery on his hamstring. The news comes after Saka, 23, suffered a tear in his right hamstring during a 5-1 win over Crystal Palace last weekend.
Despite his absence, Arsenal secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Ipswich at the Emirates on Friday, moving back into second place in the Premier League. The win came in their first match without Saka, who has been a key player for the team this season.
Arteta, speaking after the match, revealed the extent of Saka’s injury. “He has had a procedure and everything went well, but unfortunately he will be out for many, many weeks,” said Arteta. “It will be more than two months. I don’t know exactly how much longer. It will depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal, the first week or so, and the mobility of that. It is very difficult to say.”
Arteta emphasized that the team will need to step up in Saka’s absence. “The replacement of Bukayo is going to be the team. There were moments where it flowed well tonight, and moments where you could see there is still work to do. But I am certain that we are going to do that. We have to rely on the team and not the individual,” Arteta said.
Saka’s injury is a significant setback for Arsenal as they chase their first Premier League title in two decades. In his absence, Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game in the first half, securing all three points for the Gunners. Despite missed chances from Gabriel, Havertz, and Martin Ødegaard in the second half, Arsenal held on for the win, keeping them within six points of league leaders Liverpool, though having played one more game.
Arteta reflected on the match, saying, “I am very happy with the victory and the clean sheet. We could have made the margin bigger but we didn’t, and we held our nerve in the last few minutes to defend well. We should have scored more, but the team was consistent, and conceded nothing, which will always give us the chance to win games.”
Arsenal will next face Brentford on New Year’s Day, while Ipswich, who remain second from bottom, will host Chelsea after suffering a 4-0 defeat to Newcastle in their previous match. Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna praised his team’s resilience, saying, “It was a good step back in the right direction for us. We knew today we had to be resilient and we did that.”