Arsenal Fear Bukayo Saka Out for Eight Weeks with Quadriceps Injury

Arsenal fear Bukayo Saka could be out for up to eight weeks with quadriceps injury

Arsenal fear Bukayo Saka could be out for up to eight weeks with the quadriceps injury he sustained in their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich. The 25-year-old will undergo an MRI scan on Friday afternoon to better assess the problem, which forced him off in Wednesday's 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena.

Player: Bukayo Saka
Injury: Quadriceps
Expected absence: Minimum six weeks, up to eight
Scan: MRI on Friday afternoon
Match sustained: Bayern Munich 2-2 Arsenal, Champions League, Wednesday
Next match: Arsenal vs Everton, Premier League, Saturday

Injury and availability

Saka sustained the injury in Wednesday's 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena and was forced off. Fluid around the affected muscle has made diagnosing the injury difficult, but club medics are estimating, after early examinations, that Saka will miss a minimum of six weeks and it could be even longer.

If those early concerns are realised, he will miss a clutch of key games for the Gunners, as well as England's forthcoming Uefa Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain.

Saka will miss Saturday's home Premier League match against Everton, where second-placed Arsenal will hope to close a three-point gap on leaders Manchester City.

The Arsenal academy product has had fitness issues in recent months and his game time was managed at the end of last season, as well as with England at the World Cup, because of an Achilles injury he suffered in March.

He missed the March international break and seven games for the Gunners, but returned to help them lift the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years.

Saka started the Champions League final defeat by Paris St-Germain but was substituted after 54 minutes, and only started three of England's eight games at the World Cup - scoring a hat-trick in the 6-4 third-place win over France.

The forward also had surgery on a hamstring injury he picked up in December 2024, which kept him out for 101 days in the 2024-25 campaign.

He made 49 appearances as Arsenal won the title last term, despite a stop-start season. As well as the Achilles issue, Saka pulled out of a game in January against Leeds with a hip injury in the warm-up, while a hamstring problem also kept him out for about four weeks.

What was said

"We need a few more scans and opinions from the specialists."

— Mikel Arteta, Arsenal head coach

"When a player has to walk off the pitch, he is struggling to walk without any pain, and is restricted to movement; it is not a good sign. Let's be a little bit patient so we can give a definitive assessment."

— Mikel Arteta, Arsenal head coach

"He's got another MRI as there was quite a lot of fluid in the area so it was quite difficult to understand the extent of the injury. We will know more tomorrow."

— Mikel Arteta, Arsenal head coach

Arteta's caution is telling. The fluid has obscured the true extent of the damage, meaning the initial six-to-eight-week estimate could shift once specialists review the scan results. The head coach's admission that Saka's robustness and availability has "certainly been different in the last year or so" hints at a deeper concern about the winger's durability.

The numbers

Age: 25
Goals this season: 4 in 11 appearances
Appearances last season: 49
Games missed with Achilles injury in March: 7
Days out after hamstring surgery in December 2024: 101
Champions League final: substituted after 54 minutes
World Cup: started 3 of England's 8 games, scored hat-trick in 6-4 win over France

Why Arsenal's attacking depth is now under the microscope

Mikel Arteta had been speaking about how Saka was adapting his positioning to become a more regular goalscorer, and the winger has four goals in 11 appearances this season. Losing that evolving threat for up to two months forces a rethink.

Arsenal tried to sign a world-class forward to level up their frontline in the summer but were unable to do so, with unsuccessful pursuits of Vinicius Jr and Julian Alvarez. They did bring in Greece international Christos Tzolis, but he is currently injured too.

That leaves Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and 16-year-old Max Dowman as alternative wing options. Teenager Dowman has had limited minutes this season but Arteta spoke glowingly of his talent and ability to impact matches. Madueke and Eze offer senior experience, but neither possesses Saka's goal threat from the right flank. Arteta may need to adjust his system to compensate.

Talking points

Is Saka's injury record now a genuine concern? He has had Achilles, hip and hamstring problems in the last year alone, and another muscle issue raises questions about his long-term robustness.
Should Arsenal have pushed harder for a world-class forward in the summer? Their failed moves for Vinicius Jr and Julian Alvarez look costly with Saka out and Tzolis also injured.
Can Eberechi Eze fill the void? He has the creativity but not the goal return; Arteta must decide whether to tweak the formation.
Is 16-year-old Max Dowman ready for meaningful minutes? Arteta has praised his talent, but throwing him into a title race is a gamble.

What happens next

Saka's MRI scan on Friday afternoon will provide a clearer diagnosis, with Arsenal expected to confirm the extent of the injury shortly after. The Gunners host Everton on Saturday, hoping to close a three-point gap on Manchester City. A prolonged absence would also rule Saka out of England's Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain.