Journalist James McNicholas has now shared his information on the current fitness of Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal fans will be sweating over the availability of Bukayo Saka.
With a crucial Premier League clash against Manchester City on the horizon, Mikel Arteta will be desperate for as many of his first-team stars to be fit and available as possible.
There are also significant doubts about Gabriel Martinelli, and now Arsenal could find themselves without Saka on the opposite flank, too.
The 22-year-old is a talismanic figure at the Emirates Stadium, and would be hugely missed if he were ruled out of this trip to the Etihad Stadium. However, Arteta will know that his side have what it takes to beat the reigning champions even without the Hale End academy graduate on the pitch, as they managed to do exactly that in the reverse of this fixture earlier this season, when they secured a 1-0 triumph at the Emirates Stadium.
Even so, the Spanish coach will want to be able to name a full-strength starting XI. The fact that Saka recently pulled out of the England squad with a fitness concern will be a real worry then.
Will Bukayo Saka be fit for Manchester City clash?
The attacker plays a lot of football. He is a regular for the Three Lions, and starts week in, week out for Arsenal. He is the type to push through pain to get onto the pitch, which suggests that there is at least some degree of seriousness to his current condition.
James McNicholas has now provided his insight into the situation. Speaking on the Arsecast Extra podcast, the reporter revealed, “everything I’m told is that it’s precautionary, and I really hope that that is the case. Hopefully, he’ll be fit and ready for the Man City game. Apparently it’s something that he turned up at England camp with and he never took full part in training with England. So, yeah, I think we can only hope for the best.”
Since leaving the England camp, Saka will have returned to north London. The Arsenal medical team will now be doing all they can to get the player into a fit state to face Manchester City on Sunday.
How can Arsenal cope without Bukayo Saka v Man City?
If Saka is unable to make the trip, or start against Pep Guardiola’s side, then Arteta will have a big decision to make. Reiss Nelson has often come on for Saka off the bench this season, but the manager clearly lacks faith in the 24-year-old, as he is yet to have been handed a Premier League start this season.
Gabriel Jesus can operate on the flanks, and would pose a real threat to his former club. Arteta may have earmarked him to take up Martinelli’s berth on the left wing, but Leandro Trossard can always fill in on that side of the pitch if the 22-year-old Brazilian is indeed also sidelined.
In any case, the Gunners may well be heading to the north west with second-string wingers, which would be a concern given that Saka is their most potent attacker and that the outcome of this fixture is likely to have a huge impact on the Premier League title race.