Three Arsenal players guaranteed to miss Bournemouth as Bukayo Saka decision ‘confirmed’

Bukayo Saka could be fit for Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth after the international break despite picking up an injury while playing for England in the Nations League defeat to Greece on Thursday.

The 23-year-old was taken off in the second half after appearing to pick up an injury to his right leg and has returned to the Gunners where he will be assessed by medical staff. Many feared Saka had sustained a hamstring injury but Lee Carsley has suggested the Hale Ender’s knock is not that serious.

As reported by the Mirror, the England medical staff believe Saka might have made the Finland game on Sunday but, having played just three days earlier, they did not want to take a gamble on his fitness so he did not even travel to Finland with the rest of the squad. Carsley added: “Bukayo would have been close but it would have been unfair to take a risk with him. He’s a positive person and I expect him to be fine.”

The fact Saka could have perhaps featured for England against Finland suggests he should be fit for Arsenal’s clash with Bournemouth next Saturday. Mikel Arteta will certainly be hoping the winger returns to full fitness in the coming days as there are also a number of other fitness concerns to contend with.

Martin Odegaard, Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko remain on the sidelines, with Gunners captain Odegaard targeting a return from injury in November after missing the last four weeks with angle ligament damage. Zinchenko could return against Bournemouth, though. “Oleks probably after the international break, if everything goes well, he’s progressing very well,” Arteta said before Southampton.

There are question marks over Ben White and Jurrien Timber, however, as the two did not make the matchday squad against Southampton. Neither were called up by their countries England or Netherlands but Arteta has previously admitted that the pair are close to returning so should be involved against the Cherries.

Kai Havertz was due to join up with the Germany squad but did not travel after picking up a knee injury and looks to be a real doubt for next Saturday’s clash. The striker’s potential absence will be a concern for Arteta as the Gunners have three important games in eight days against Bournemouth, Shakhtar Donetsk and Liverpool after the international break.

Thomas Partey was another player who dropped out of international duty at the last minute. The midfielder was due to meet up with the Ghana squad but instead stayed at home due to a reported illness. On a positive note, Takehiro Tomiyasu made his return from injury against Southampton before the international break and will have benefitted from a couple weeks of full training.

At this stage, it appears that Odegaard, Tierney and Havertz will not make the trip to Bournemouth but Arteta should provide clarity on the injury front next Friday in his pre-match press conference.