Bukayo Saka was on the receiving end of a hefty challenge during Arsenal’s 2-0 win at Port Vale
Mikel Arteta has shared an update on the fitness of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Newcastle United.
Arsenal travel to St. James’ Park on Sunday looking to close the five-point gap to league leaders Liverpool.
While results have been decent, Arteta’s squad has suffered numerous injury issues this season, with at least one player limping off the pitch in each of their five league games so far.
Noni Madueke was the latest casualty, with the winger set to be sidelined for around two months with a knee issue, joining Kai Havertz, Piero Hincapie and Gabriel Jesus in the treatment room.
Saka returned from a hamstring injury last weekend to come off the bench against Manchester City, before starting the Carabao Cup win at Port Vale on Wednesday night.
The winger played 63 minutes before being replaced by Max Dowman but there were concerns over his fitness after being on the receiving end of a crunching challenge which left him in a heap on the grass.
Arteta attempted to ease concerns after the game, saying it was always the plan for Saka to come off after an hour and in his pre-match press conference reiterated that his star player was fit to face Newcastle.
Martin Odegaard has been struggling with a shoulder injury since the second game of the season
‘Nothing to report there,’ the manager said. ‘He played the game we anticipated. He did well, he feels good and he will be training the next few days.’
Captain Odegaard has also been dealing with a painful shoulder injury that has seen him miss the last three games and only complete 90 minutes once this season.
Arteta confirmed earlier in the week that the attacking midfielder did not require surgery and had returned to light training, but the manager was cautiously optimistic on Friday.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are five points behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race
‘Martin will be training with us the next two days, so hopefully he will be available for the game. Yes [he’s racing to be fit].’
Arteta also took time to pay tribute to Arsenal academy graduate Billy Vigar, who died on Thursday aged just 21 after suffering a ‘serious brain injury’ while playing for non-league Chichester City.
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‘Shocking news, when I got in yesterday,’ the manager said.
‘Straight away thinking about the family and how difficult it is to go through something like this and in a very unexpected way. Hopefully they can dig in.
‘Understand what happened, why it happened and try to avoid [it happening again].
‘Really sad news and our full support with the family and thoughts with all their loved ones.’
