After the Gunners’ goalless draw with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has allayed concerns about Bukayo Saka’s injury.

Saka suffered a muscular injury during the international break, which prevented him from playing for England, but he was able to rejoin Arsenal’s starting lineup for their Premier League title match against the Citizens.

The winger fizzed a lovely delivery across the six-yard box early in the second half, giving the Gunners one of their greatest opportunities to take the lead. Gabriel Jesus was unable to make contact at the back post.

After Gabriel Martinelli replaced Saka in the final ten minutes with the score tied, Saka was eventually taken out and left with an Arsenal physio, raising doubts about his fitness among the Gunners supporters.

But Arteta has now given a favorable report on the 22-year-old, stating that his primary reason for withdrawing was exhaustion.

Mikel Arteta allays concerns about Bukayo Saka’s injury

“As you are aware, Saka has been sidelined for a few weeks due to a minor issue,” Arteta said reporters following the game.

“He was experiencing that weariness. He has not trained as of yet. The day before the game was his only training day. Although he contributed significantly, 90 minutes was a lot for today.

Saka should therefore be able to play in Arsenal’s upcoming Premier League match on Wednesday night at home against Luton Town, provided he passes a fitness test.

Similar to Saka, Gabriel Magalhaes recovered from an injury that kept him out of the Brazil team during the international break to start for Arsenal against Man City. The defender played the entire ninety minutes.

Prior to the match at the Etihad, Martinelli was also a potential injury concern due to a cut on his foot; but, as previously stated, he was able to make a cameo substitution appearance.

Saka’s quick recovery to full health will be welcomed by Arteta, given the Gunners have a busy calendar of Premier League and Champions League matches in April.

After Wednesday’s match against Luton, they will travel to Brighton & Hove Albion three days later. In between, they have a home match against Aston Villa, who are hoping to finish in the top four, and a challenging two-leg Champions League quarterfinal match against Bayern Munich.

After their cagey draw with Man City, Arsenal’s perfect record in 2024 came to an end. They fell to second place in the Premier League rankings, two points behind new leaders Liverpool (who defeated Brighton 2-1 at Anfield) and one ahead of Pep Guardiola’s team in third.

Even so, Arteta sees lots of advantages from his team’s draw at the Etihad, especially their defensive stability, and feels that the competition for the championship has not changed as we approach the last nine games of the season.