Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on Saka and Odegaard injuries, Gyokeres’ first league goals, Dowman debut and signing Eze after big win over Leeds | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta admits he is concerned by the injuries suffered by duo Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka in Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Leeds.

Odegaard was forced off in the first half with a shoulder issue, while Saka was replaced after half-time with a hamstring problem.

“That’s the negative,” Arteta said when asked about their injuries.

“Martin felt something in shoulder when he landed, we don’t know. We’ll have to scan it tomorrow and understand a bit better.

“Bukayo was running with the ball, carrying the ball, wrestling with the defender. He felt something in his hamstring so let’s see.

“I think it’s the other one, not the same one as the previous injury, but we’ve been two weeks and we already lost Kai (Havertz), Martin and Bukayo so it tells you how well equipped you have to be in this league. to maintain the level that we want.”

Asked if he thinks the injuries are serious, Arteta said: “He (Saka) felt something while he was sprinting, that’s never a good sign, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow and speak to the doctors as well and understand better.

“But he’s had his injuries before. He knows exactly the feeling of that so let’s wait.”

It was an otherwise positive afternoon for the Gunners, with Viktor Gyokeres scoring his first and second Premier League goals to help his side to victory.

“That will help us to evolve and to find other ways of attacking teams and connecting with each other,” Arteta said on Gyokeres’ performance.

“It’s clear Viktor is really dangerous, what his superpower is, and let’s put him as much as possible in those scenarios because something good will happen.”

There was also a Premier League debut for 15-year-old Max Dowman, who won the penalty which Gyokeres converted for Arsenal’s fifth goal.

Arteta was full of praise for the youngster, saying: “He is a kid that has zero hesitation. He is so convinced he can go out at 15 and deliver.

“For us, he brings joy, he brings emotion, and something that makes our jobs so great.”

The good news for Arsenal started even before kick-off, when new signing Ebere Eze was unveiled on the pitch ahead of the game.

“One of the fastest, I would say, and probably one of the most unexpected,” Arteta said when asked about the process behind signing him.

“It showed an incredible determination, starting from ownership and all the board to recognise that we had to act, it was our choice obviously but that shows the level of determination and how much we want to take this club to a different level.

“Delighted to have him. The talent is unquestionable, he’s done it in this league. The personality is unbelievable.

“You can tell today what happened on that pitch means the world to him.”