Bukayo Saka breaks silence after huge Arsenal injury worry ahead of PSG
by Sam Truelove · football.londonBukayo Saka has taken to social media after picking up an ankle injury in Arsenal's win over Ipswich Town.
The Gunners battered the home side at Portman Road on Sunday with goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Ethan Nwaneri and a Leandro Trossard brace ensuring a comfortable 4-0 win. There was a scare just after the half hour mark, however, when Saka was left in pain on the floor after a horror tackle by Ipswich defender Leif Davies.
The 25-year-old defender dived into the back of Saka, planting his studs on the England international's ankle, and was sent off by referee Chris Kavanagh. The Ipswich star was adjudged to have 'endangered the safety of an opponent'. Saka, while visibly in pain, soldiered on and was eventually replaced by Ethan Nwaneri in the second half.
After the match, Saka was seen with serious strapping on his ankle and then in a cooling boot. He walked through the mixed zone noticeably limping. Arteta, though, insisted the Hale Ender's injury was nothing serious.
"The referee's made a decision that it is clear. He was a bit sore, but it's nothing serious, so it's good," the Spaniard said.
Asked if he was worried when Saka went to ground, Arteta said: "I do, especially with the numbers that we have right now and especially when they are back to goal, because normally it's the moment when the foot is planted, your weight is there, and you cannot really react to it, but he's fine."
After the match, Saka took to Instagram to share a two-word message to his followers. Alongside a picture of himself smiling, the 23-year-old wrote: "Happy Easter." In another post, Saka posted a red love heart emoji alongside a picture of himself celebrating with Martin Odegaard and Trossard.
With Saka seemingly fine and Arteta playing down any serious injury, the England international looks set to play some part against Crystal Palace on Wednesday. After the clash against the Eagles, attention will turn to the Champions League semi-final first leg against PSG on Tuesday, April 29 at Emirates Stadium.
Arteta was asked for his thoughts on Saka and Odegaard's performance against Ipswich in his post-match press conference. "I think they were very good, both of them," he said. "Bukayo didn't score but he contributed to a few goals. Same with Martin, so overall I think collectively we were very, very strong today as well."
On Palace and potentially making changes, Arteta said: "We have to somehow put 11 players out there and have four or five changes, so let's see how they recover in the next few days. The good thing is they are willing to play because they like the rhythm as well. We are so used to that rhythm every three days that the boys are demanding and then we don't have a game at the weekend, so we have a gap there, so let's see how we get on on Wednesday."
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