Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that star winger Bukayo Saka will miss "several weeks" due to a hamstring injury.
The England international was forced off during the Gunners' commanding 5-1 victory against Crystal Palace over the weekend.
Images at the end of the match showed the 23-year-old leaving Selhurst Park on crutches, owing to what was later revealed to be a hamstring issue.
Given that Saka has been involved in 15 of the team's 34 goals this season, scoring five and setting up 10, his injury is a significant blow at a crucial point in the campaign for Arsenal.
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Arteta confirms Saka injury absence
Speaking to the media this week, Arteta confirmed that the England forward would be sidelined for "many weeks" due to the muscle issue he sustained over the weekend.
He said: "It's not looking good. He's going to be out for many weeks. "It is what it is. He's injured, we cannot change it. We're going to use this time now to help him."
Saka is expected to consult a specialist after undergoing additional scans, which should provide more clarity on the length of his recovery, but the Daily Mail report that there are concerns that the winger's lay-off could stretch into late February or even early March
The 23-year-old has already dealt with three hamstring issues this season, though this one - believed to be a tear - is the most severe.
Arteta also stated that he was "putting some ideas together" to manage Saka's absence and highlighted that Arsenal had experience in coping without key players, referring to Martin Odegaard's injury earlier this season.
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Injury concerns mounting for Arsenal
Arteta tried to remain optimistic in his interview, saying that Saka's injury will be a valuable opportunity for the team to come up with ways to overcome another challenge this season.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, Raheem Sterling will not be one of the solutions to deal with the setback, as he is now also expected to be sidelined for several weeks.
The Chelsea loanee started the team's EFL Cup quarter-final victory against the Eagles in midweek but was absent at the weekend due to a knee injury, as confirmed by Arteta.
Saka and Sterling are now added to a growing injury list that also includes defenders Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Gunners will resume Premier League action on Friday when they take on Ipswich Town at the Emirates Stadium.
Devesh Jaganath
