Arteta provides Saka injury update after Arsenal star forced off vs Brighton

Saka was forced off late on in Arsenal’s goalless draw at Brighton, leaving England boss Gareth Southgate worried about the fitness of the attacker for the international break

Mikel Arteta has provided an encouraging update on the status of Arsenal star Bukayo Saka’s injury after the attacker was forced off against Brighton.

Saka pulled up with a leg injury in the dying embers of the game, before limping off the AMEX Stadium pitch clutching the back of his leg.

It came after a heavy challenge from one of his side’s opponents in the Saturday evening clash and will no doubt have left England manager Gareth Southgate worried.

Southgate had named the 20-year-old in his Three Lions squad to face Andorra and Hungary in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers next week.

The Arsenal star has become a key player under Southgate for England, scoring once and assisting another in the hammering of Andorra at the start of September.

He has continued to impress for the Gunners this season, with Arteta having used him in all nine of the Gunners’ games so far in all competitions.

Having been freed up from his duties as an emergency full-back thanks to the signings of Nuno Tavares and Takehiro Tomiyasu, Saka has been selected as a winger this term.

While he has only scored two goals and notched one assist this campaign, Saka has started the season in good form.

Who was Arsenal’s man of the match against Brighton? Comment below.

Following a man of the match performance in the north London derby against Tottenham, he was handed his sixth successive start by Arteta for the trip to the south coast.

It proved to be a challenging evening for the visitors, with Graham Potter’s Brighton side on top for the majority of the match.

Despite that, Saka still impressed at the AMEX, winning four of his nine duels, completing 50 per cent of his attempted dribbles and making five recoveries.

But as the game entered injury time, Saka was the subject of a heavy challenge which forced him to go down.

The Arsenal medical staff rushed onto the pitch before he was forced to limp off, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles coming on in his place.

It would have been a concerning sight for both Southgate and Arteta, with Saka a key player for both club and country.

But the Arsenal boss had an encouraging update after the game, with the decision to bring Saka off appearing to be merely a precautionary measure.

“He’s fine. He got a knock but he should be fine,” Arteta said in his post-match press conference.

Southgate would be able to replace Saka should his injury prove to be more serious, though it appears that the England boss should have nothing to worry about.

The Three Lions are currently top of their group in the qualification stage for next year’s World Cup, with wins next week set to all but seal their place in Qatar.

Arsenal meanwhile currently sit ninth in the Premier League having gone on a four-match unbeaten run and are four points off Everton, who currently sit in the final Champions League qualification place.