MIKEL Arteta has confirmed that an injury suffered by Bukayo Saka is not as serious as first thought.
The English winger pulled-up with an apparent groin issue before Saturday’s 4-0 win over Leeds at Elland Road.
However, speaking ahead of his side’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea, the Arsenal boss put to bed rumours of a longer-term issue.
He said: “He was better today.
“We have to wait and see how he responds and then make the decision.
“It doesn’t look like something too serious. Whether he’s going to be available for tomorrow or the weekend, we’ll see.”
With Saka a doubt, Arsenal know they will definitely be without midfielder Mikel Merino.
In a club statement released on Sunday, the Gunners confirmed the Spaniard had sustained a bone injury in his right foot, requiring surgery.
When asked if Merino would be back before the end of the season, Arteta was keen to avoid a definitive date.
He stated: “We hope so. I don’t know, he needs to go through a procedure, which is not always positive.
“It’s a very rare injury, so we have to wait and see once we have the surgery how it reacts daily and monitor it throughout the week.
“I know Mikel is going to do absolutely everything that he possibly can to come back as quick as possible.
“But you have to respect the healing process.”
With six goals and three assists so far this season, the midfielder will be a huge miss for the North London team as they challenge for the Premier League title.
Arteta said: “He’s a big player for us, a player who has such versatility and capacity to compete in various positions, and that’s a big blow.”
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