MUNICH — Mikel Arteta admitted Bukayo Saka's quadriceps injury "does not look good at all" after Arsenal's talisman was forced off after just 10 minutes of their 2-2 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
The 25-year-old winger went down attempting to play a pass with nobody around him and had to be replaced by Eberechi Eze, who went on to score the opening goal. Despite losing Saka so early, Arsenal produced a strong performance and could have won late on after Declan Rice's equaliser. "They are a bit concerned. A player who has to come off with a really sharp pain is never good news but we have to wait and see," Arteta told TNT Sports.
The setback continues a frustrating run of fitness issues for Saka. His game time was managed at the end of last season and with England at the World Cup because of an Achilles injury picked up in March, which saw him miss the March international break and seven matches for the Gunners before returning to help them lift the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years. He started the Champions League final defeat by Paris St-Germain but was substituted after 54 minutes, and started only three of England's eight games at the World Cup, scoring a hat-trick in the 6-4 third-place win over France. He also required surgery on a hamstring injury suffered in December 2024 which kept him out for 101 days in the 2024-25 season, made 49 appearances as Arsenal won the title last term despite a stop-start campaign that also included pulling out of the warm-up against Leeds with a hip injury in January and a hamstring problem that kept him out for about four weeks.
Champions League Match of the Day pundit Nedum Onuoha said the early withdrawal was the only negative on a positive night for Arsenal. "He was lying on the floor with his hand up and he knew he was in a bit of trouble, so now the concern will be how long he is out for," Onuoha said. "It's not necessarily something that means the team will struggle heavily, but there is a reason why he is regarded as one of the best players in this Arsenal team and is seen as being important for them." After Saka's exit, Noni Madueke — who had started on the left wing — switched to the right and looked bright, while Eze impressed from the left. "This is one of the reasons their squad has been built the way it has been and I think Madueke and Eze did well on the wings today after Saka came off," Onuoha added. "In terms of options, at this moment in time for Arsenal, it is not going to be an issue - they will miss the star power that he has, they still have plenty of other wide players who can step up and do the job while they wait for him to come back."
Losing Saka, who has scored four goals in 11 appearances in all competitions this season, will test Arsenal's depth, though the Gunners have invested heavily over the past two summer windows. Madueke can play on both wings, while summer signing Christos Tzolis — currently out with a hamstring injury — has started the season well, and 16-year-old Max Dowman has already shown he can have an impact after scoring in the Premier League last season. Arteta was pleased with the response against Bayern, which followed Rice's late strike to earn Arsenal a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich. "I think Ebs [Eze] had a great game. Not only the ball, but the actions. His overall performance, I think his commitment without the ball as well," he said. "And when the other ones come in, I think they really contributed to this. First of all, the energy. And then to bring different tools that the team needed in that moment to get something out of the game. So, very pleased again."