Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed Bukayo Saka will be sidelined for over two months after undergoing surgery on his hamstring injury.
While initial fears of a season-ending injury were quickly allayed, Saka was diagnosed with a hamstring tear which reports claimed could keep the winger out for as long as three months.
After keeping fans in suspense with a timeline of “many weeks”, Arteta has now confirmed Saka will not be seen for at least two months while he recovers.
“He has had a procedure and everything went well, but unfortunately he will be out for many, many weeks,” said Arteta.
“It will be more than two months. I don’t know exactly how much longer. It will depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal, the first week or so, and the mobility of that. It is very difficult to say.”
Arteta had previously hinted at dipping into the transfer market to find a replacement for Saka but, after Friday’s 1-0 win over Ipswich Town, he backed his current crop of players to fill the void left behind by their talisman.
“The replacement of Bukayo is going to be the team,” he continued. “There were moments where it flowed well tonight and moments where you could see there is still work to do. But I am certain that we are going to do that. We have to rely on the team and not the individual.”