Bukayo Saka played more games than Lionel Messi by 22, and Arsenal are paying for it
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The story in brief
16-second readBukayo Saka is out for at least six weeks with a quad injury, a recurring problem for the 25-year-old, who has made 212 senior appearances by age 22, more than Lionel Messi's 200 at the same age. Saka's injury history has raised concerns about Arsenal's management. He has missed 48 games since the start of the 2023-24 season.
The full picture
Bukayo Saka is out for at least six weeks with a quad injury, a recurring problem for the 25-year-old, who has made 212 senior appearances by age 22, more than Lionel Messi's 200 at the same age. Saka's injury history has raised concerns about Arsenal's management. He has missed 48 games since the start of the 2023-24 season.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been criticized for not resting Saka, who started 37 of 38 league games in 2022-23. Arteta dismissed concerns about Saka's workload in 2022, but later acknowledged his robustness had been different in the last year. The club's failure to sign a top attacking player this summer has also been questioned.
Saka's absence will hurt Arsenal, who are already thin in attack after losing Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard. The team will be without a natural right-winger if Noni Madueke and Christos Tzolis are also out injured. According to Sky Sports, Arsenal's win percentage drops when Saka doesn't start.
At a glance
- Reporting status
- Reported
- Original publisher
- Arsenal Insider ↗
- Source published
- Clubs covered
- Arsenal
Attributed publisher reporting. Kickjolly has not independently confirmed the claim.
Source context
Arsenal head to Anfield on Sunday without Bukayo Saka, and it’s going to be a while before we see him again. Saka is only 25, but his body has been through more than most players his age. He already appears to have lost some of his explosive burst, and Matt Verri of the Evening Standard has made a convincing case that Arsenal have only themselves to blame. By the time Bukayo Saka turned 22, he had made 212 senior appearances for club and country. Lionel Messi had made 200 by the same age.
Source excerpt · Arsenal Insider
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