Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that taking Bukayo Saka off against Port Vale was a planned substitution and not a fresh injury worry for the winger.
The England international started the game against the League One opposition and came out for the second half too, despite this weekend’s Premier League fixture against Newcastle United. Shortly after the break, Saka was on the receiving end of a hefty tackle.
The forward hit the turf and held his leg in pain, causing Arsenal to worry over a fresh injury concern. The 24-year-old eventually got to his feet but could be seen limping and trying to shake off the problem in the minutes that followed.
Moments later, Saka looked to be fine and was calling for the ball but he was then hooked from play 10 minutes later with teenager Max Dowman thrown into the action. When asked about the substitute after full-time, Arteta said (via londonworld.com): “We wanted to play him maximum 60 minutes and he comes from a big injury again and we need to manage his minutes.”
The Gunners boss went on to confirm that Saka would ‘be around for the weekend’ with the player expected to start against Newcastle United. The winger has already missed three matches for Arsenal this season with a hamstring injury.
Saka did not feature against Liverpool or Nottingham Forest in the league and missed out of the Champions League game against Athletic Bilbao. He did return to action with 45 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City before his run out against Port Vale.
Arsenal progressed into the next round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win over their opposition and will face Brighton at the Emirates Stadium in the next round.
Reflecting on the match against Port Vale, Arteta added: “The biggest thing is the reputation and that’s a big thing. We knew the crowd would be with them if we gave them anything. The second half and the moment they had throw in after throw in. We lacked control there.
“They played direct and they wanted to attack the box and we wanted to avoid that. We had moments in the game where we were very dominant and very good.”
