Mikel Arteta fears Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are both braced for a period on the sidelines after they sustained injuries in Arsenal’s thumping 5-0 win over Leeds at the Emirates.
Viktor Gyokeres bagged a brace on his home debut for Arsenal, while Jurrien Timber also scored twice after new signing Eberechi Eze was unveiled in the moments before kick-off at a euphoric Emirates.
But Saka, who himself hit the target in first-half stoppage time, was replaced in the 53rd minute with a hamstring injury.
The England international was ruled out for three-and-half months last season after he was forced to have surgery on his right hamstring.
Saka pulled up before going down and clutching his left hamstring when the second half was just six minutes old. He hobbled off before he exchanged a guarded message with Arteta behind the veil of his left hand.
Odegaard fell awkwardly on his right shoulder early on and never fully recovered. Kai Havertz is also facing a spell out with a knee injury – the extent of how long the Germany international will be sidelined for remains unclear at this stage.
And Arteta said: “Those are the negatives of the day. Martin felt something in his shoulder when he landed. We don’t know. We’ll have to scan him tomorrow and understand a bit better.
“And Bukayo, while he was running with the ball, carrying the ball, wrestling with the defender, he felt something in his hamstring while he was sprinting. That’s never a good sign.
“We’ll have to wait and speak to the doctors. But he’s had these injuries before. And he knows exactly the feeling of that.
“We are two weeks in and we have already lost Kai, Martin and Bukayo. So it tells you how well-equipped you have to be in this league to manage and to maintain the level that we want.”
As well as Eze, Arteta could have a ready-made replacement in teenager Max Dowman who became the club’s second youngest player to represent Arsenal with a fine second-half cameo.
Dowman, aged 15 years and 234 days, earned his side a penalty in stoppage time which Gyokeres duly converted, and Arteta added: “This is what we see every single day in training.
“There is a kid here that has zero hesitation. He’s so convinced that he can go in at 15 and deliver that, which I’ve never witnessed in my life. And for us, it brings joy, it brings emotion and something else that makes our jobs so great.”
Newly-promoted Leeds were brought back down to earth following their 1-0 win against Everton at Elland Road on Monday.
Manager Daniel Farke said: “It is fair to say Arsenal deserved to win. I am not sure it was a 5-0 because they had five shots on target.
“But long story short, when a team like Arsenal is on it, and a team – which has probably been the best in Europe for the past few years in terms of consistency – then it is always difficult for a newly-promoted side. We have to accept they were better today.”
