Former Arsenal Director of High Performance Darren Burgess has spoken about the potential causes of Bukayo Saka’s latest injury, as highlighted in a report by Football London on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.

Burgess outlined how overload, previous injuries and the demands of playing at the highest level can increase the risk of soft tissue injuries for the winger.

Saka suffered an injury during Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich and was forced off.

Since bursting onto the first team, Saka has made over 320 appearances for the club but his latest injury issues have sparked debate over how many games he has been playing.

Former Arsenal employee Burgess, who has worked under Arsène Wenger and Unai Emery, said that the decision over whether to play injured players comes down to the manager and the player."It comes down to the manager and the player," he said.

Medical and performance staff may recommend not playing them if they feel there is a high risk of making the injury worse but it can come down to the manager and the player if they feel the player can play.Burgess also added that a good relationship between managers and medical staff is key.

Burgess specifically said he was concerned for young, explosive players like Saka as they play a lot of games in the Premier League.

He mentioned Raheem Sterling and Cesc Fàbregas as examples of how young players are getting overloaded.

"So I have a great fear for the young players of the game now if they’re thrown in and mismanaged, particularly if they’re playing in the Premier League, of which the intensity is just through the roof."

Burgess admitted that he did not know exactly what had caused Saka’s injury but added that players who make a lot of explosive movements need to be carefully managed.He added that the injury may have been building up before the game against Bayern Munich.