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Bukayo Saka injury is Arsenal's worst nightmare - and Mikel Arteta must take the blame for running his star man into the ground

Nobody was in the least bit surprised when Bukayo Saka set up Gabriel Jesus for Arsenal's opener in Tuesday night's Champions League game in Lens. It's what he does. Saka isn't just an outstanding talent, he's also on fire right now.

Indeed, that assist meant the winger was the first player across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues to rack up both five goals and five assists this season. However, if Saka's involvement in Jesus' strike was inevitable, so too was what followed.

Shortly after the half-hour mark at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Saka attempted a back-heel and felt a twinge in his hamstring. He gestured to the sideline that something was wrong and was promptly replaced.

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Manager Mikel Arteta admitted afterwards, "It doesn't look good." And it really doesn't, from any perspective. Any injury to Saka, no matter the severity, is a major problem for Arsenal - but the timing is particularly disastrous in this instance, with their talisman now a major doubt for Sunday's massive Premier League showdown with Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium.

And yet while one cannot but feel sorry for Saka for maybe missing the biggest game of the season so far, it's hard to feel any great sympathy for Arteta or Arsenal for the worrying situation they now find themselves in, as this feels like a mess all of their own making.

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