Bukayo Saka still hasn’t trained since his injury on Monday, according to Mikel Arteta ahead of Thursday’s pre-match session.

Speaking in his press conference ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Friday, Mikel Arteta confirmed that Bukayo Saka hadn’t trained with the squad on Tuesday or Wednesday, following his injury in Monday’s match.

“He hasn’t trained yet, so again we have to assess him today and see how he is,” Arteta said (via Arsenal and Charles Watts). “It is down to the doctors and himself to see how he recovers and how he feels when he trains today and tomorrow.

“He is very important, he has shown how important he is for the team.

“We have two or three players who finished the game with some issues, we will look today.”

Saka went down under an unfair challenge in the first half of Arsenal’s fixture against Crystal Palace on Monday, with James McArthur only receiving a yellow when many felt he deserved a red. The winger ended up having to come off at half-time.

It would obviously be a blow to Arsenal to lose Saka for the coming games, as he’s one of the key players in the side. He’s one of a few players in the squad who can lift the team on his own when he’s on form.

But at this stage we can remain hopeful that Arsenal are just taking precautionary measures. Arteta didn’t rule Saka out for Friday’s game completely, at least. We’ll find out soon enough whether or not the 20-year-old is available.