Arsenal get Bukayo Saka injury boost as England offer update after he left camp

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka could be fit to start this weekend’s match against Bournemouth, despite concerns about his fitness following his withdrawal from the England squad with an injury.

Saka didn’t join the Three Lions for their Nations League clash against Finland in Helsinki after he was seen limping off the pitch during the second half of England’s 2-1 defeat by Greece at Wembley last Thursday.

After feeling discomfort in his right hamstring as he went to deliver a cross, the winger made an early exit and was notably walking with caution afterwards.

Lee Carsley, the interim England manager, ruled out any participation for Saka in the game against Finland, preferring not to gamble on his fitness. However, following scans, the fears of a significant injury have been allayed.

“Bukayo would have been close but it would have been unfair to take a risk with him,” Carsley said before the Finland fixture.

That came after he said in the immediate aftermath of the Greece loss: “He’s being assessed. Obviously, in the build-up to the first goal, you could see he felt something in his leg.”

Though initially cast as doubtful for Arsenal’s upcoming away game at Bournemouth on Saturday night, the indications now are that the situation isn’t as dire as first feared.

That means the Gunners will sidestep another potential setback akin to what happened with Martin Odegaard during the previous international break.

The 23-year-old Saka has been exceptional this season, delivering three goals and seven assists in 10 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions.

His recent injury while on duty with England, however, underscores the persisting concerns over Saka’s heavy playing schedule, given that he has not missed a single match for club or country this campaign.

Mikel Arteta acknowledged the need for careful management of Saka’s game time after his stellar performance against Southampton last weekend. The ace bagged two assists and a goal in the Gunners’ 3-1 victory.

When probed on the possibility of resting Saka, Arteta said: “Yeah, there is and we have taken him off a couple of times this season. And we have to manage the load of him, but at the moment he’s in a good place.”

With Saka sidelined, England will lean on Harry Kane for creative spark during their Helsinki showdown, following Kane’s absence in the loss to Greece.

Additionally, Jack Grealish is in fine form for national duties according to Carsley, who said: “They both trained on Friday, they trained today, so in terms of their fitness everything’s fine.

“What does Harry bring to the team? Having watched the games that he’s played in and the influence that he has on the team, he leads by example, really good captain, great positive person to have around.”

“We always have that when we’ve got something really good in front of us: we’re always looking for the next big thing. But I think we should appreciate what we’ve got in front of us with Harry.

“His goalscoring speaks for itself, what he’s done in the past should massively be respected and I think he’s still got a lot of games and goals in him, hopefully.”