Mikel Arteta has discussed Bukayo Saka’s injury following Arsenal’s emphatic win over Nottingham Forest, stating that he ‘had a really bad kick and could not carry on’.
The England and Arsenal star was taken off on the half-hour mark after falling foul to a hefty tackle from Forest full-back Renan Lodi in the 15th minute. After receiving treatment on two ocassions, Saka was eventually subbed off by Arteta.
His replacement, Reiss Nelson, came off the bench to star for the Gunners, scoring his first two goals of the Premier League season in the 5-0 rout.
Speaking after the game to Sky Sports, Arteta was asked about Saka’s injury, replying: “He had a really bad kick, to be fair he tried [to play on] but he couldn’t.”
Arteta also took the time to discussed Nelson’s performance and the Gunners’ bounce-back after a disappoitning midweek defeat to PSV Eindhoven:
“I’m really happy for him [Nelson] personally because he’s a player that is really trying, he’s changed and evolved a lot and he deserves chances. He hasn’t had many minutes yet but I’m really happy for him.
“It’s always very difficult to win in this league and we know that today we had a tricky game after travelling and playing in Europe and I think the team responded really well, played really well, and scored fantastic goals so [I’m] really happy.”
