Arsenal injury update: Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling and Ben White latest news and return dates

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Evening Standard

·28 Desember 2024

Arsenal injury update: Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling and Ben White latest news and return dates

Gunners enter 2025 missing another key player for a period of months

Arsenal’s hopes of reeling in dominant leaders Liverpool in the Premier League title race continue to be hampered by injuries, with Bukayo Saka the latest key Gunners star to be sidelined.

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Mikel Arteta has had to cope without influential players constantly throughout the current campaign so far, with captain Martin Odegaard having missed more than two months of action earlier this term with ankle ligament damage suffered on international duty.

His absence was partly the reason for a real downturn in form for Arsenal, who will be hoping to avoid a similar fate without Saka having made a winning if somewhat insipid start to life without their attacking talisman during Friday night’s tame 1-0 home win over Ipswich at the Emirates Stadium in which they lacked a spark but Kai Havertz proved the hero to take Arteta’s side up to second and six points behind Liverpool, who have played a game more.

The Gunners cannot afford any more slip-ups after recent frustrating draws with both Fulham and Everton if they are to maintain hope of securing a first title for 21 years, with a potentially tough trip to London rivals Brentford coming up on New Year’s Day before an away clash with Brighton is followed by the small matter of the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie against Newcastle and an FA Cup third round showdown with Manchester United.

Arsenal also have Aston Villa and Tottenham on the fixture schedule in January, as well as their final pair of Champions League league phase contests against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona. With that in mind, here is all the latest Arsenal injury news and return dates with Oleksandr Zinchenko returning from a calf complaint to make the matchday squad on Friday.

Bukayo Saka

Saka was forced off midway through the first half in last weekend’s 5-1 rout of Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Selhurst Park, Arsenal’s second win over the Eagles in a matter of days after a 3-2 come-from-behind home victory in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

The 23-year-old left the ground on crutches amid a worrying initial update from Arteta, who later confirmed a torn hamstring that would keep Saka sidelined for “many, many weeks”.

There were fears at Arsenal that he could be ruled out until March, with Saka undergoing surgery this week and Arteta then confirming after the win over Ipswich that his recovery would likely now take more than two months.

“He had a procedure,” Arteta told reporters. “Everything went well, but unfortunately he will be out for many, many weeks.

Double injury blow: Arsenal wingers Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling are both currently sidelined

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“I said many weeks so I think it will be more than two months. I don’t know exactly how much longer.

“It will depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal, the first week or so, the mobility of that. Let’s see, it’s very difficult to say.”

Potential return date: Unknown, March at the earliest

Raheem Sterling

Saka’s absence was initially compounded by a knee injury suffered by Raheem Sterling in training at London Colney last week, denying Arteta the most obvious replacement down the right wing.

Arteta also said originally that the Chelsea loanee was set for weeks in the treatment room, though offered a more positive update after the Ipswich game with Sterling’s issue not as bad as first feared and a potential early return looming.

“We have to see this week how he evolves,” Arteta said on Sterling. “We probably expected the knee injury to take longer than it has evolved in the last few days. Hopefully that’s good news because we need him.”

Potential return date: Unknown, potentially early January

Ben White

Versatile defender Ben White has not played for Arsenal at all since the 1-1 Premier League draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge back on November 10.

The former Brighton and Leeds man underwent a minor knee operation to resolve a lingering joint problem and was ruled out for a period of “months”.

Updates on his recovery have been few and far between since then and it remains to be seen when White will be fit to make his return in the New Year.

Potential return date: Unknown

Takehiro Tomiyasu

Along with fellow defender White and Saka, Takehiro Tomiyasu is Arsenal’s other long-term absentee at present, having suffered a knee injury during pre-season and then sustained a fresh setback after just one six-minute cameo appearance off the bench against Southampton in the Premier League in early October.

He has not played since, having had a bit of a change of scenery in recent weeks in a bid to help his recovery.

“He’s gonna be away now for a few weeks to continue with his treatment and change his environment a bit,” Arteta said last month as he stressed the need for continued patience with Tomiyasu’s recovery.

“Physiologically it has been really tough for him. He’s a guy that will work 24 hours to be fit and he feels terrible being out.”