Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta urges Bukayo Saka to take surprise action as he continues recovery from hamstring injury: Report

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has advised Bukayo Saka to take a break as he recovers from a hamstring injury. The Englishman went under the knife to address the issue last month and is not expected to feature for the Gunners until March.

Saka has been in fine form this season as well for the north London side, registering nine goals and 13 assists from 24 games across competitions. His absence, as such, will be a huge blow for Arsenal, who are also missing Gabriel Jesus due to an ACL injury.

Speaking to the press, as cited by The Mirror, Arteta backed Saka to come back stronger after ample rest and recovery.

"He needs to get away for a few days and refresh. He needs to. He is obligated to go. With his girlfriend or his family, he can choose. Or on his own. He can still do a lot of things with his rehab because it is the perfect stage. I think it will make him really better," said Arteta.

He continued:

"He is (on the player's desire to stay close to his teammates) - and he has been every single day there. There is a moment, especially when we are going to be away for a few days, that he needs to do that. That is very important for him as well. But we need to look after our players. And he can send me a nice picture - or a present!”

Arsenal next face Aston Villa at the Emirates on Saturday, January 18, in the Premier League.

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Will Arsenal sign Dusan Vlahovic this month?

Dusan Vlahovic

Arsenal could struggle to sign Dusan Vlahovic this month, according to acclaimed journalist David Ornstein. Recent reports have suggested that the Gunners have turned to the Serbian to address their injury woes in attack.

However, speaking on The Athletic FC podcast, as cited by GIVEMESPORT, Ornstein insisted that a move could be tough to complete this month.

“You see names like Vlahović they tried to sign him in the past. It didn’t happen when he went to Juventus. It seems Juventus are ready to part with him and they’ve brought in Randal Kolo Muani which is a further indication that it’s not been going well for Vlahović," said Ornstein.

He continued:

"Say Arsenal want to loan a player in the January transfer window, they can only do an overseas loan because their domestic Premier League places are already full. If they were to look to someone like Vlahović, I don’t know if Juventus would be ready to loan him out."

He concluded:

"They want a sale from what I’ve been told. Now, that could be a loan to a club with an obligation to buy. It’s the same thing as a sale. But immediately, that would commit you to finances in this cycle of PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules). My early inquiry suggested he’s not a player that [Arsenal are] particularly hot on at the moment.”

Vlahovic's contract with Juventus runs until 2026.