Arsenal fans have received confirmation of positive news regarding injury fears for star man Bukayo Saka - as the winger has reportedly only picked up cramp against Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday's win in the north London derby. Gunners fans feared the worst when the academy graduate was substituted in the dying embers of the crunch clash against Ange Postecoglou's side, especially with an already injury-hit squad that has seen Oleksandr Zinchenko, Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino and Takehiro Tomiyasu all see time on the sidelines in what is currently an injury crisis at the Emirates Stadium.
Saka was seen hobbling around the perimeter of the pitch as Ethan Nwaneri replaced him late on, and that would have been the last thing Arsenal needed with the treatment table filling up at London Colney. But a report has suggested that Saka had only suffered cramp in the derby and he will be in contention for this week's trips to Atalanta and Manchester City.
Saka Injury For Arsenal vs Tottenham 'Just Cramp'
The winger should now be available for two more crunch games
The report from doctor Rajpal Brar follows up on an initial report from the Evening Standard that Saka had only been suffering cramp towards the end of the derby clash, by stating that there was 'good news' on Saka, before confirming that he was indeed only suffering from cramp and nothing more - meaning that he will be able to feature on the right wing away in Italy and at the Premier League champions.
It's the best news Mikel Arteta could have wished for. Saka has started every game for Arsenal this season, recording an assist in every Premier League game for the club and scoring on the opening day against Wolverhampton Wanderers to really stake his claim as a key player at the Emirates Stadium, especially given his reported £250,000-per-week contract.
Gabriel Martinelli's form has been inconsistent, and alongside Odegaard picking up what looks like a medium-term injury, it has placed even more reliance on Saka to perform in the coming weeks as Arsenal enter what is likely to be the toughest run of their season with three away trips inside a week to strong opposition.
Not only do they have two difficult tasks on the road in the next weeks, but the Gunners will also see Paris Saint-Germain visit the Emirates Stadium before too long and the end of October sees clashes against Liverpool, Newcastle United, Inter Milan and Chelsea all come within two weeks - and so Saka's fitness is imperative to their chances of success.
Saka Is Arguably Arsenal's Most Important Player
The winger's output is superb for a young star
Saka continues to grow in importance as an Arsenal player, and his output numbers show that he is becoming more vital by the season.
The 2021/22 season saw him record double figures for the first time in the Premier League, notching 11 goals and registering seven assists - and he hasn't looked back from there. 2022/23 boasted double figures in both goals and assists in the top-flight with 14 and 11 respectively, whilst similar figures were seen last season with 16 goals and nine assists in the Premier League alone - though eight goal contributions in just nine Champions League games really showed his worth.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Bukayo Saka has 52 caps for England, scoring 12 goals in the process.
A further three years on his contract means that Arsenal will be enjoying Saka's talents for quite some time, and you would think that could be extended with the rate that the Gunners are progressing at - and so it will be interesting to see just how well Saka does once he begins to enter the 'prime' of his career.