Arsenal fear Bukayo Saka could be missing until March as a result of his latest hamstring injury, a report has claimed.
Saka went down clutching his hamstring in the recent victory over Crystal Palace and manager Mikel Arteta has since confirmed the winger will miss “many weeks”, declining to put an exact timeframe on Saka’s recovery.
While initial estimates have placed Saka on the sidelines for up to six weeks, the Daily Mail state Arsenal fear it could actually take twice as long for their star forward to make it back on to the pitch.
This is the most serious of the three hamstring injuries Saka has suffered this season and Arsenal are conducting in-depth checks to determine the full extent of the damage, but there are concerns that the repeated damage to him hamstrings could force Saka into an extended period on the sidelines.
A March return would see Saka miss as many as ten Premier League games, including clashes with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and West Ham United.
Arsenal travel to face Manchester United on March 8 and then host Chelsea seven days later on March 15 – two fixtures for which Arteta will be desperate to have Saka back.
Arteta has already admitted Arsenal could be forced into the transfer market in January to help cope with Saka’s absence, not least because usual understudy Raheem Sterling is also set for weeks on the sidelines.