Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has recently provided a concerning injury update on two key players - Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice. Both players were forced off during Arsenal's draw at Chelsea last Sunday, which has raised concerns for England's squad in the upcoming Nations League games.
Arteta confirmed that both Saka and Rice will be unavailable for England's forthcoming matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland. The Three Lions are scheduled to travel to Athens before hosting the Irish at Wembley next week in their final games of the Nations League group stage. However, interim boss Lee Carsley now faces a challenge as he will have to manage without both key players.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, said:
“It doesn’t look good because two players of that importance tell you that they cannot continue in the game, so it obviously isn’t good news. I don’t expect them to be fit, because if they were, they wouldn’t have come off.”
Rice had been carrying a broken toe injury into the match against Chelsea and had not trained all week due to this issue that occurred at Newcastle last Saturday. He was replaced by Mikel Merino with 20 minutes left in the game. On another note, Saka was forced off 10 minutes later due to a muscle problem.
Potential replacements for injured players
With these injuries posing challenges for England squad selection, Carsley might look towards other central midfielders named in his team such as Conor Gallagher, Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes or Curtis Jones as potential replacements for Rice.
As far as replacing Saka is concerned, options could include Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon, Jack Grealish or Noni Madueke who could potentially fill his position on the wing.
Impact on Arsenal’s performance
The absence of both Rice and Saka was felt during Arsenal’s recent match against Chelsea where they struggled significantly leading to an extension of their winless run stretching it out to four games. Gabriel Martinelli managed to give Arsenal an initial lead before Pedro Neto's wondergoal rescued a draw for Chelsea.
Arteta expressed his disappointment post-match, lamenting his side's luck with injuries this season. The recent injuries to Saka and Rice only add to Arsenal’s growing list of concerns as they navigate through the current season.
Mikel Arteta added:
"We are still missing a lot and some of the guys out there are not in the best condition and that is all we are asking, that they are fit and available and the physical condition to play at this level and we have not had any of that, It was patch, after patch, after patch - a lot of players starting and not in the condition to finish games, so that is what I am praying for. There is nothing we can change today about that.
"What I am just praying is that after the international break I have the team fully equipped physically, they are available and they are fit because it has been an absolute nightmare for eight weeks. Issue after issue, not only the ones that are not able to play, but the ones that are able to play only for certain moments, only for certain days, not able to train. So I’m just asking that because the team, the desire that they have and how much we want it, there’s no question about that."
The upcoming Nations League games will be a test for England without two of their key players. It will also be interesting to see how Arsenal manages in their absence and whether they can break their winless streak in the coming matches.
