Mikel Arteta has spoken about Bukayo Saka’s injury at Bayern Munich ahead of Arsenal’s game against Everton on Saturday

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admits that Bukayo Saka’s injury which forced him off during the 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich on Wednesday night “doesn’t look good” ahead of Saturday’s home match against Everton.

Having suffered their first defeat of the season, 2-0 at home to Chelsea last Saturday, having previously gone unbeaten over eight matches in all competitions this term, the Blues face another challenging assignment as they travel to face the reigning Premier League champions at the Emirates Stadium, a venue where they have never won in front of fans.

However, David Moyes’ men might not have to contend with one of the Gunners’ brightest stars after a quad problem ensured Saka, who had started in the right-wing berth, had to exit their last fixture at the Allianz Arena a mere 10 minutes into the contest to be replaced by fellow England international Eberechi Eze. The dingdong affair in Germany subsequently saw Eze put Arsenal ahead on 25 minutes, with Alphonso Davies equalising 10 minutes later.

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Former Tottenham Hotspur ace and England captain Harry Kane then turned the game on its head as he fired Vincent Kompany’s side in front from the penalty spot on 61 minutes before Declan Rice earned a share of the spoils by restoring parity eight minutes from the end.

Saka collapsed on the turf after a routine challenge with Davies and walked slowly off the pitch following treatment. The Guardian reports that the 25-year-old was still moving in a very limited way as he left the stadium and Arteta admitted the setback was a sour note for his side.

The former Goodison Park fans’ favourite, 44, who made 209 appearances for Everton and scored 35 goals between 2005 and 2011, said: “It doesn’t look good at all but we have to wait and see. “They [the medics] are a bit concerned.

“A player who has to come off with a really sharp pain is never good news. Bukayo did not start the game against Lille last Tuesday, then he started at Nottingham Forest on Sunday and it happened very early in this game.

“The level of intensity that this game requires, as well, is something incredible. You could see it on Tuesday night, the PSG-Barcelona game, what happened [with players getting injured].

“This is man-to-man for 96 minutes in every action. There’s no breathing.

“The stress, the quality, the intensity, the level that you need … it’s unbelievable. It’s the highest level and those things happen, unfortunately.”