Arsenal head coach, Mikel Arteta, has clarified that Bukayo Saka’s substitution against Port Vale was a pre-arranged decision and not linked to any new injury concerns.
The England winger was named in the starting XI for the Carabao Cup clash and even reappeared after the interval, despite Arsenal’s crucial Premier League meeting with Newcastle United this weekend.
Early in the second half, however, Saka was caught by a strong challenge, leaving him in visible discomfort as he clutched his leg on the turf.
Although the 24-year-old managed to get back on his feet, he appeared to be limping as he tried to run off the knock.
Moments later, he looked ready to continue and was demanding the ball, but was withdrawn around the 55th minute. Teenager Max Dowman came on in his place.
Speaking after the 2-0 victory, Arteta explained via londonworld.com, “We wanted to play him maximum 60 minutes and he comes from a big injury again and we need to manage his minutes.”
The Arsenal boss also reassured fans that Saka is expected to feature at the weekend:
“He will be around for the weekend.”
Saka has already sat out three matches this season with a hamstring issue, missing league ties against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest as well as the Champions League meeting with Athletic Bilbao.
He made his comeback with 45 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City before featuring against Port Vale.
Arsenal’s win over the League One side booked them a spot in the next round of the Carabao Cup, where they will host Brighton at the Emirates.
Reflecting on the game, Arteta admitted the Gunners had to deal with spells of pressure.
“The biggest thing is the reputation and that’s a big thing. We knew the crowd would be with them if we gave them anything. The second half and the moment they had throw in after throw in. We lacked control there.
They played direct and they wanted to attack the box and we wanted to avoid that. We had moments in the game where we were very dominant and very good.”
