04 October 2023 , 18:39
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Mikel Arteta has been slammed for not resting Bukayo Saka, who's now a doubt for Arsenal's huge game against Manchester City this weekend.
The Gunners host reigning Premier League champions City on Sunday, knowing that three points would take them ahead of Pep Guardiola's side and potentially top of the table over arch rivals Tottenham. But Arsenal boss Arteta might not be able to call upon Saka, who limped off with an injury after back-heeling the ball during Tuesday's 2-1 defeat away to French side Lens in the Champions League.
After also needing to be hauled off in their rousing 4-0 win at Bournemouth on Saturday, the England international has now been substituted due to injury in his last three appearances for the Gunners. Arteta has only left him out of Arsenal's starting lineup once this season - last Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Brentford in the Carabao Cup - and he admitted after the Lens loss that Saka's injury "doesn't look good," with the match at home to City fast approaching.
That's lead ex- Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor to berate Arteta for not resting the 22-year-old, who's also played Arsenal's last 87 Premier League matches, a club record. "He shouldn't have played against Bournemouth, the last two games he's played in he's been limping," Agbonlahor told TalkSPORT.
"The Bournemouth game, leave him at home, say, 'You're not playing this game, you're gonna play on Tuesday and you're gonna play against Manchester City'. People say, 'He's young, he can do it' - it doesn't matter. You play all of these games, injuries are gonna happen.
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Bukayo Saka went off injured in the first half against Lens (Getty Images)"The biggest game of the season on Sunday against a Manchester City side that have got key players injured, and you still didn't rest him against Bournemouth. He wasn't even the first player to be taken off. He played 76 minutes, a game they were comfortable in.
"As a manager, you stop the player and say, 'No, I know you wanna play every game and don't wanna come off. You've got to manage your load because you're playing too many games'."
The former Premier League marksman went on to question how Arteta's decision to keep playing Saka will be viewed by other players in the dressing room. "What does it say to the rest of the squad?" Agbonlahor continued.
" [Emile] Smith Rowe, [Reiss] Nelson - all these players. Why have a squad of 22-23 players, whatever your squad is, if you're just gonna keep playing the same team."
Arteta promptly defended his choice to start Saka for the Gunners' second game in Group B, which his side currently sit second in ahead of their trip to Seville on October 24. "It was a knock that he had the other day [against Bournemouth] and he was perfectly fine," the Spaniard explained.
"It was a back-heel, an action that can produce that kind of injury. Let's see what the extent of it is and afterwards it's too late. He tried to back-heel a ball in the first half and felt something muscular. He felt uncomfortable and we had to take him off."