Bukayo Saka faces a spell on the sidelines with the hamstring injury he picked up in Arsenal’s 5-1 win at Crystal Palace before Christmas, with the Gunners hosting Ipswich on Friday
Mikel Arteta says Gabriel Martinelli is relishing the prospect of stepping up to replace Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal fear they will be without England winger Saka for the next two months. Saka tore a hamstring in Saturday’s 5-1 win at Crystal Palace and that was a huge blow to the Gunners’ title hopes. With Raheem Sterling also a long-term injury absentee, Arteta is set to turn to Martinelli for Friday’s visit of struggling Ipswich.
The Brazil forward, 23, was switched from the left when Saka was hurt at Selhurst Park and ended the game with a goal and an assist. Gunners manager Arteta said: “Gabi loves it – you give him a challenge and he wants to do it today if he can. He’s a player that likes responsibility and likes having a bigger role.
“He had a big impact in the Palace game and like other players everybody is going to have to add something else because Bukayo, who we rely a lot on, is not going to be with us.”
Arteta has been accused of over-playing Saka to the point of breakdown. But the Gunners boss insisted there had been no sign of that before Saturday.
He said: “When you look at his history in six years, it is incredible. It is very difficult to find a more robust player in the league, especially at his age when the load goes up.
“Nobody knows. Maybe you think ‘I am doing everything perfect’ and ‘perfect’ is not what that muscle needs, that muscle needs something else that we cannot control.”
Arteta has other options to fill the Saka void as Leandro Trossard and teenager Ethan Nwaneri can also play on the right. Gunners fans are excited about 17-year-old Nwaneri’s potential but Arteta was cautious.
He said: “He needs to understand a few things. Obviously for Ethan there’s been a massive step in the last 12 months. But he’s on the journey with us and every time he plays he changes games for the better, so that’s a really good sign.”
The Gunners are having to play catch-up in their title tussle with leaders Liverpool and second-place Chelsea. The Christmas period was where it went wrong last season – they lost to West Ham and then Fulham in the last days of December.
Arteta said: “Against West Ham we had the most touches in the opposition box in the history of the Premier League and lost 2-0.
“You go home and you cannot believe it but it was the reality. Then Fulham, which was also very different. There was a lot to learn from it.” And what exactly had Arteta learned? “That the ball has to be in the net!” he said.
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