Mikel Arteta has revealed that Raheem Sterling will jon Bukayo Saka on the sidelines as Arsenal's injury problems deepen. Saka, 23, was forced off with a hamstring problem in the first half on his side's 5-1 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday, and has since been ruled out until February.
Initially, it appeared his absence would pave the way for Sterling to have a regular run in the side, having struggled for game time since his loan move from Chelsea.
But now Arteta has confirmed the ex-England international also has an issue, and won't be available over the festive period.
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In his press conference on Monday, the Spaniard said: "He’s (Sterling) gonna be out for weeks. He needs further testing tomorrow to understand the extent of his injury. It’s his knee."
Sterling, 30, has been confined to a bit-part role with the Gunners this season, playing just 11 times in all competitions. He made a rare start in Wednesday's League Cup win against the Eagles, but was withdrawn in the second half.
The news will come as another huge blow to Arteta though, who has already hit out at league organisers over the frantic schedule. His side host Ipswich on December 27, before a trip to Brentford on New Year's Day.
In the 14-day period that follows, the Gunners face Premier League derbies with Brighton and Tottenham, as well as a League Cup semi final first leg with Newcastle and FA Cup match with Arsenal. But Arteta insisted he wouldn't be panic buying next month to solve his issue on the right-hand side.
"My intention right now is to get the best of what we have," he said." I’m putting some ideas together. I haven’t got there yet but I have a few. I want to speak with them as well and take it in a positive way.
"It means we’re going to be different. We went through the period with Martin (Odegaard) and the period with five, six defenders missing. We’re looking at it with positive energy."
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Asked about Saka's reaction to being diagnosed with a torn hamstring, he said: "He was gutted. You could tell that he has been injured because he was really emotional and really down. He will be fine but I think he’s going to need a few days."
Despite their return to form last week, Arteta's side lie six points off leaders Liverpool and have played a game more. on Saturday, the 42-year-old vowed to keep fighting for the title, but conceded they couldn't afford to drop their levels between now and May.
