BREAKING NEWS Jurgen Timber Bukayo saka injury latest – Huge Mikel Arteta claim, Arsenal return date, Man City worry

• BREAKING NEWS Jurriën Timber Bukayo saka injury latest – Huge Mikel Arteta claim, Arsenal return date, Man City worry

Timber joined the Gunners from Ajax in a deal worth a reported £34 million over the summer, but his Premier League debut was cut short after he limped off injured during Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

It later transpired that the Dutchman had sustained an ACL issue and would require surgery in a major blow to Mikel Arteta.

However, the defender has since been spotted without crutches for the first time since his injury, suggesting a rapid improvement in his recovery.

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Edu Gaspar shows dark Premier League trophy to Jurrien Timber

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Timber was pictured attending the club’s traditional squad photo, alongside their Community Shield trophy and training ground dog ‘Win’.

While Timber won’t be fit in time to face PSV at the Emirates on Thursday, his recovery will delight fans.

Perhaps, it is not too much of a surprise after Sky Sports reporter James Green claimed the injury “is not as severe as it could have been” last month, confirming he was “still walking the next day”.

Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka sustained an injury during Tuesday night’s Champions League loss against RC Lens, forcing him off during the first half of the match

Bukayo Saka is a huge Arsenal injury doubt to face Manchester City this weekend (Image: (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images))

Arsenal starlet Bukayo Saka suffered yet another injury scare during Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League defeat to RC Lens on Tuesday night. The 22-year-old had picked up recent knocks during Premier League clashes against Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth but Mikel Arteta still opted to start his star winger for his side’s trip to France.

Saka had started the European clash well, assisting Gabriel Jesus’ opener after just 14 minutes. But his evening ended just 19 minutes later after appearing to pick up some kind of muscle injury, a major worry for the north Londoners ahead of Sunday’s showdown against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.

As fears continue to grow that the England international could miss the highly-anticipated clash with the Citizens, football.london has rounded up everything that has been reported on Saka’s current fitness status below.

Arteta update

Mikel Arteta has given a huge update on Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, claiming he is currently in contention to play against Manchester City over the weekend. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: “Well he is in contention. Let’s see how he progresses from here to Sunday. He had to leave the pitch that’s never good news but let’s see how he recovers.”

Mikel Arteta Praises Tomiyasu Amid Impressive Brentford Performance

Mikel Arteta Praises Tomiyasu Amid Impressive Brentford…

Southgate promise

England men’s national team boss Gareth Southgate has promised Arsenal that he won’t risk Bukayo Saka’s fitness over the international break if there are any doubts over his ability to play. Speaking to reporters, he said: “I’ve been a player and I’ve never ever taken a risk on a player’s physical well being. And nor would I.

“I can only go via what Mikel Arteta has said about the last few games. He is in contention for the weekend so we’ve obviously got a very important qualifier. We look after the players as well as any country. We have really good dialogue with all of their clubs, I think they pretty much all would agree that we probably give better feedback than every other nation.

“They have trust in us that we make decisions that are right for the long-term whenever we can. We only have ten matches a year. And there’s been times when with Bukayo, for example, we haven’t always played him. But there are certain key games where if it’s possible to have your best players then you do want to have them.”

Silence broken

England manager Gareth Southgate has given an update on the reason he picked Arsenal star Bukayo Saka for his upcoming England squad. He told reporters: “That he’s [Saka] still being assessed so obviously they’ve got a big game this weekend [Arsenal vs Manchester City] and then there’s another seven days before we play Australia and then another ten days before Italy, so we’ll monitor everyone.”

England decision

England have decided to include Bukayo Saka as part of their squad to face Australia and Italy in the upcoming international break. It suggests that the youngster could well be fit to face Manchester City this weekend, with uncertainty still remaining over his current fitness.

Scan planned

Arsenal are set to conduct a scan for Bukayo Saka on Thursday to check the severity of his most recent injury concern, reports the Daily Mail. The youngster is facing a day-to-day assessment of his issue to his hamstring, with a potential timeline of two weeks out at a minimum.

Arteta update

Arteta has provided an update on Saka’s injury following his side’s Champions League defeat to RC Lens. Speaking to TNT Sports, the Spaniard said: “It wasn’t an action, it was a back heel and he felt something and he wasn’t comfortable to continue.”

When asked if he knew how severe the issue was, Arteta simply shook his head. If Saka is out, it will be a huge blow to the Gunners ahead of what is undoubtedly their biggest Premier League game of the season. Arteta also spoke to TV Sport 2 where his diagnosis of Saka’s injury was far more worrying.

The Gunners manager said: “It doesn’t look good.”

Lens blow

Saka fell to the floor mid-way through the first half of Arsenal’s Champions League defeat to RC Lens which eventually saw him replaced by Fabio Vieira. The Hale End academy graduate was a doubt heading into the game after picking up a knock against Bournemouth but he started the game in France.

However, Saka’s evening lasted just 33 minutes after he dropped to the floor holding his hamstring. Moments earlier the 22-year-old had gestured to Arsenal boss Arteta that he was feeling a slight issue before making his way off the pitch.

Cryptic post hints at injury return

Bukayo Saka has posted a cryptic message to Instagram as Arsenal face an anxious wait over his fitness ahead of Premier League clash against Bournemouth. The England international limped off against Tottenham in the North London Derby last weekend sparking fears that he could be sidelined for a number of weeks.

Saka has now posted a picture of himself inside a gym on his Instagram story – suggesting he is actively working on his fitness ahead of the trip to Bournemouth this weekend. It’s unclear whether the England international is doing recovery work or is fully fit and ready to return to training.

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka provides injury update in Instagram post.

Arteta admits Bournemouth doubt

Saka is a doubt for Arsenal’s Premier League fixture against Bournemouth this weekend, Arteta has confirmed. Speaking ahead of the Gunners’ Carabao Cup third-round tie against Brentford Arteta said: “He was limping quite badly after the match.

“We had to get him off the field. He hasn’t been able to participate in the session.

“It’s a possibility (he could miss Bournemouth).”

Major boost

Saka was in severe pain after taking a knock on his foot during Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Spurs. But thankfully for Mikel Arteta and Co, this is not thought to be anything serious, with the England winger recovering.

It seems unlikely that he will be risked for Wednesday evening’s Carabao Cup fixture against Brentford, a match that Arteta is expected to rotate heavily for.

Mikel Arteta update

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has played down the talented youngster’s Achilles issue, claiming that most players have aches and pains at various times of the season.

“He’s fine, he trained normally today. There’s nothing to report,” the Spaniard said when asked about Saka.

He added: “Every player has pains or issues. But [there is] nothing to worry about.”

Latest concern

According to the Daily Mail, Saka is still being nagged by an Achilles injury that bothered him during the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

As a result, he was named on the bench for Tuesday night’s friendly against Scotland.

Southgate admission

England boss manager Gareth Southgate previously revealed the issue back in June following Saka ‘s unforgettable hattrick against North Macedonia.

Speaking about the youngster’s goals after that game, Southgate said: “We weren’t surprised by the first one, that’s how he’s been all week, we hadn’t seen the second one coming. I am delighted for him.

“He’s had a slightly sore Achilles and it’s another one where it would have been easy to lull out on the camp and miss out on a night like this that I’m sure will live with him forever.”

The Three Lions boss continued: “He’s had it for a few weeks. It is an injury that just needs managing… when you’ve had one of the best nights of your life, it’s a reminder that it’s worth going through these things.”

Sir Alex Ferguson warning

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has previously warned Saka and other youngsters that managers play an important role in protecting their players