Bukayo Saka ruled out against Everton as Arsenal await further scans to establish injury lay-off

Bukayo Saka will miss Arsenal’s Premier League match against Everton as further scans are needed to establish the severity of his thigh injury.

Mikel Arteta said on Friday that the winger was due another MRI that afternoon, with fluid around the affected area making the initial assessment difficult.

Saka was forced off after 10 minutes of Wednesday’s 2–2 Champions League draw at Bayern Munich. His absence against Everton is confirmed, but Arsenal have not announced how long he will be unavailable.

Why Arsenal need another assessment

Arteta explained that further imaging and specialist opinions were required before he could give a definitive update, according to Reuters’ report of Friday’s press conference.

The manager expected to know more after those checks. That does not establish a return date or confirm which later fixtures Saka will miss.

“We need a few more scans and opinions from the specialists,” Arteta said, in comments also reported by The Standard.

Saka’s difficulty moving after the injury concerned Arteta, but the manager stopped short of putting a number of weeks on his recovery.

Madueke and Eze give Arteta options against Everton

Arsenal must now adjust their attack for Saturday’s 3pm kick-off at the Emirates Stadium.

Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze offer different solutions. Eze replaced Saka in Munich and scored Arsenal’s opening goal, while Madueke switched from the left to the right after Saka went off, as documented in Fantasy Football Scout’s match analysis.

Madueke also scored the decisive goal in Arsenal’s 1–0 win at Nottingham Forest last weekend.

That gives Arteta recent evidence of both players contributing, although neither has been confirmed as a starter against Everton. Our analysis of Arsenal without Saka examines how their roles could change.

Hincapie available, Saliba and Tzolis still out

There is better news in defence, with Piero Hincapie available after returning to training following his ankle injury.

Arteta confirmed the defender could be selected against Everton, according to The Standard’s Friday update. William Saliba and Christos Tzolis remain unavailable.

Hincapie’s return restores a defensive option, but Arsenal’s immediate attacking decision is how to replace Saka while they await a clearer medical assessment.

Related: Arsenal XI vs Lille confirmed: Saka and Ødegaard on bench as Madueke starts