Bukayo Saka scored for England in their World Cup qualifier against Serbia, but the Arsenal winger was spotted gesturing towards the bench at one point during the match.
Bukayo Saka has caused injury worries for Arsenal and England after scoring for the Three Lions in their World Cup qualifier against Serbia. ITV cameras caught him limping before gesturing to the bench, suggesting he may need to be substituted.
However, Saka appeared to recover somewhat in the following minutes. During a break in play, he headed to the dugout to change his boots, which appeared to be the cause of his discomfort.
Considering his past injury issues, it’s understandable that there are concerns that he suffered at least a minor injury. Gunners manager Mikel Arteta would have feared the worst, but Saka later revealed his gesture was simply to ask for new boots.
read more: England vs Serbia player ratings rate Thomas Tuchel as outstanding 8/10 starread more: England vs Serbia, ITV refuses to show replay due to player being seriously injured
Saka played the full 90 minutes of the match, which ended in a 2-0 victory, but further dispelled injury concerns in the post-match interview. Asked by ITV about the gesture to the bench, he admitted: “No, no, no, I just wanted to change my boots, that’s all.”
The winger was outstanding as Thomas Tuchel’s side won 2-0 with goals from Saka and Arsenal teammate Eberechi Eze.
Arteta has continued to use Saka in recent months after losing him to a hamstring problem at the start of the season. The 24-year-old has struggled to find the back of the net since his return, but did score in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Sunderland.
Injuries have been a constant problem for Arsenal this season, but the depth of their squad has allowed Arteta and his team to cope with key absences. Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Victor Gökeres are among the players who missed the game.
Riccardo Calafioli is the latest player to cause Arteta an injury headache, with the versatile defender left out of Italy’s squad for Thursday night’s game against Moldova. However, this was not unexpected as the 23-year-old has been following a different training program this week due to a hip problem.
Calafioli appears to be dealing with a minor issue and Arteta is hopeful he will be fit for the north London derby against Tottenham after November’s international break.
Arteta has hinted that Maduke, Odegaard, Martinelli or Gyokeres could return for the game against Sunderland, telling a press conference: “I can’t confirm everyone[who is absent against Sunderland]but it’s not far away.”
“We don’t know if some or all of them will be available[after the suspension]. There’s a lot of work to do in the next two weeks and everything has to be perfect, but I think we’re getting pretty close.”
The latest information on Saka will come as a relief to Arteta and Arsenal fans. The winger could feature again for England, who face Albania away on Sunday afternoon as they hope to maintain their 100 per cent winning record in World Cup qualifying.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£43
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
