Bukayo Saka sustaining a multi-month injury has derailed Arsenal in the past, but Mikel Arteta's side seem to be doing just fine without their talismanic winger this time around.

The Hale End graduate went down with a quad problem early on at the Allianz Arena last month and was subsequently ruled out for six to eight weeks. He's not expected to be fit again until around Christmas, or possibly even later.

In previous years, such an injury would spark a meltdown in the Arsenal fanbase. The thought of having to rely on Fabio Vieira, Raheem Sterling or Gabriel Martinelli off the right was enough for Gunners supporters to write off the season.

However, this time around, Arteta has had Noni Madueke to call upon. A month or so ago, the former Chelsea man stepping in for Saka for two months of action would still have panicked fans.

However, since the deputy has replaced the starboy, Arsenal have secured a well-deserved point in Munich, beaten Everton comfortably and won at Anfield. Madueke has more than played his part.

Noni Madueke is thriving in ways you might not expect

Despite facing scrutiny for some of his performances, Saka had actually started the season very well. He'd become Arsenal's biggest goal threat, focusing more on arriving in the box to get on the end of moves, rather than involving himself in the build-up as much as he used to.

At his best, Saka was a multi-faceted wide man whose primary skills included ball progression and chance creation, with some shot-getting layered on top. At the beginning of this campaign, he'd transitioned into a pure shot-getting role.

Naturally, you'd have expected Madueke to fulfil a similar role and carry it out slightly less effectively. He's known for his pace and direct running, while he's often been lamented for his contribution to build-up and his lack of technical security in possession. So, playing a role where he's tasked with focusing on the very last action makes sense.

However, Cannon Stats on X dropped a very revealing data visual on Madueke's season so far on Wednesday, and it fits what we've seen on the eye.

The wide man has embraced aspects of the game that we didn't know he was capable of embracing. He's not focused on arriving on the end of moves, but is instead doing almost everything else on the pitch, and to an exceptionally high level.

Cannon Stats' radar highlights what we can see Madueke is doing very well. His ball-carrying and dribbling numbers pop off the screen. He's carrying the ball at an elite level and providing a lot of value to Arsenal's attack in the process.

He's also getting on the ball constantly, ranking in the 97th percentile for deep touches (touches less than 25 yards from the opponent's goal). A player who is typically labelled as limited is doing so much to contribute to Arsenal's all-round game.

The only area in which Madueke's numbers underwhelm is his shooting. He's currently not getting enough shots off or accumulating the expected goals that are likely to yield a lot of goals.

Arteta has unearthed Madueke's creativity and his ability to contribute to ball progression, which shows genuine development for the player. He just needs to rediscover his goal threat (which he had at Chelsea) to go up another level.