Bukayo Saka injury news: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirms hamstring surgery as forward expected to miss at least two months | Football News happymamay

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Bukayo Saka has undergone successful surgery to treat a hamstring injury but expects the Arsenal striker to miss at least two months.

Arteta’s men have been rocked by Saka’s hamstring injury which could keep the England winger, who has scored nine goals and made 13 assists this season, out for the next two months.

Gabriel Martinelli was given the unenviable task of filling Saka’s shoes on Arsenal’s right-hand side and the Brazilian was involved in the only goal of the evening against Ipswich on Friday night.

Arsenal eventually moved into second place in the Premier League table with a 1-0 win at the Emirates Stadium. In the final match of 2024, Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game midway through the first half.

Arsenal’s win brought the team back to within six points of leaders Liverpool, having played one more game than the Reds, and one point behind Chelsea after their Boxing Day defeat to Fulham. Speaking afterwards, Arteta stressed that his team must get used to winning matches without Saka.

“I said several weeks, so I think it will take more than two months,” the Gunners coach said. “I don’t know exactly how long it will take. I think it will depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal. In the first week or so, it will move. Let’s see, it’s very difficult to say.”

“Bukayo will be out for several weeks. I think B [Saka] It will be the team. This unit in particular. Spend minutes together and ask different things.

“There were moments when things went really well, and there were moments where we can still do some work and improve and adapt to the qualities of the individuals. I’m sure we will do that.”

“It was different [tonight]. We will develop that. We can’t isolate the same way we isolate Bukayo, we have to do it differently. “It’s going to take some time, it’s a brand new unit.”

Ipswich’s defense failed to deal with Martinelli’s cross, and the ball fell to Leandro Trossard on the other side of the penalty area. Trossard made his way to the sideline before sending a cross into the box for Havertz to convert from a few yards out.

It was Havertz’s third goal in four games, his 12th of the season, and well deserved for the hosts, who had an impressive 91.4 per cent of possession at that stage of the game.

Heading into Friday’s game, Arsenal had lost just one of their last 75 Premier League games when opening the scoring, and their victory here has rarely looked in doubt after Havertz’s strike.

Arteta added: “I am very happy with the win, the clean sheet and parts of the match. It was a very difficult opponent after a long series of matches. It was about the margins, and we could have scored more but the most important thing is.” The thing is how we handled the endgame.

“We should have scored more but our defensive behavior was great and that will always give us the chance to win games.”

Analysis: Arteta must work to find a formula without Saka

Arteta promised that Arsenal will be “different” without Saka. He knows he has no immediate replacement for the 23-year-old. However, based on this evidence, it could take some time to find a formula that works in his absence as he begins an extended period on the sidelines.

Martinelli was chosen to take over the right-wing role for Arsenal after he impressed following the transfer following Saka’s withdrawal in the win over Crystal Palace but struggled, not registering a shot, creating any chances or even completing any dribbles.

The goal came from the other end of the pitch, as Trossard raced away from Ben Johnson and crossed into the six-yard box, where Havertz pounced. But Arsenal continued to direct a higher percentage of attacks from the right flank.

Martinelli wasn’t the only one they were looking up to. Martin Odegaard provided support and Arteta’s forward line was more fluid than usual, with Gabriel Jesus and Havertz also featuring on that side, as well as exchanging positions with each other before Jesus was replaced.

Their movement caused Ipswich problems at times, but Arsenal generally struggled to create chances, except for a period in the second half when they broke through the visitors’ goal.

Havertz is ready to stand up – but others must follow his example

Penn Grounds on Sky Sports at Emirates Stadium:

“It’s true you can’t score five goals every week, and there was a degree of satisfaction in the voices of the home supporters when they chanted ‘1-0 to Arsenal’ after the final whistle.

“This has turned into a muddled performance that, in the midst of a busy run of fixtures, Mikel Arteta won’t mind. Mark this, and move on to the next performance.

“It’s a game that won’t live long in the memory, but it’s a game that Arsenal won in the end thanks to Kai Havertz’s dribbling off the ball.

“The German was rewarded simply because he did not stand still. Later, his enthusiasm led to a booking, but in Saka’s absence, it was imperative that he continued his impressive production throughout 2024.”

“His decisive goal was his 24th appearance of the calendar year – just four goals behind Saka. And as long as the Starboy star is out injured, Havertz must continue this flurry of goals.”

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