Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insisted Bukayo Saka’s early withdrawal against Port Vale on Wednesday was not the result of any fresh injury concerns.
A hamstring injury has disrupted Saka’s start to the 2025–26 season, with Wednesday’s 2–0 victory just his third start across all competitions. He lasted around an hour but had Arsenal fans sweating after a tough tackle left him in pain on the ground and limping just minutes before his withdrawal.
With Noni Madueke facing around two months on the sidelines with his own injury, any new absence for Saka would come as a massive blow to Arsenal. Thankfully, Arteta is confident that is not the case here.
“Yeah, it was always the plan,” Arteta said of Saka’s hour-mark exit. “The maximum we wanted him to play was 60 minutes; there is a lot of games coming up.
