Mikel Arteta gives Bukayo Saka Arsenal injury update after Luton with return timeline revealed

Mikel Arteta has revealed he hopes Bukayo Saka can be fit to face Brighton on Saturday after the Arsenal forward missed his team's 2-0 win over Luton Town on Tuesday. Unlike some of his teammates, Saka was not included in the matchday squad as the Gunners rotated following the draw at Manchester City on Sunday.

«He was close but again he felt something in a very similar area against City and it was a very short turnaround,» Arteta said after the game. «Hopefully he’ll be able to train again and we can have him for the weekend.»

Saka was taken off late on at the Etihad Stadium, limping from the field after getting attention from a club physio. He had trained with the side ahead of welcoming Luton but was unable to carry out all the activities,football.london understands.

It's a continuation of a minor muscular problem for the 22-year-old that saw him withdraw from the England squad during the international break. He had joined up with Gareth Southgate and Co but quickly returned to the Sobha Realty Training Complex to recover.

Arteta had been hopeful that his star man would be available to feature against the Hatters, saying on Tuesday, «He's fine. We haven’t trained, just recovered. We have a short, light session today to prepare the game and we will see if he’s in the best condition to start or not.»

Saka's absence is thought to be precautionary though with Arsenal now in action just three days later with a trip to Brighton. They will head into that game in fine shape after doing all they could to pile the pressure onto Liverpool and Manchester City.

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