'Absolute disgrace' - Arsenal and Mikel Arteta blamed for Bukayo Saka injury
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O'Hara has blamed Mikel Arteta and Arsenal for Bukayo Saka's injury after claiming the winger was overused prior to the unfortunate event.
Saka pulled up with a hamstring injury during the 5-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace prior to Christmas. Speaking before the clash with Ipswich Town, Arteta told Amazon Prime that the forward will be out of action for 'many, many weeks.'
The 23-year-old has played every single match for Arsenal when he has been available. This includes the opening rounds of the Carabao Cup and O'Hara believes that is negligence on the part of the Gunners.
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"It was always going to happen; Arsenal have got themselves to blame," he told Grosvenor Sport. "Mikel Arteta has played him every single week, including games where you don’t need to play him, like Carabao Cup games.
"The earlier rounds of those competitions should be used to rotate players, I can’t believe he’s played in all their Carabao Cup games. I know Arsenal are hugely reliant on Bukayo Saka with what he can produce on the pitch, but this was always going to happen.
"I think both the manager and the fixture list are to blame for his injury. The fixture list is outrageous.
"Saka hasn’t had any time off. There’s no rest for the top players.
"The league demands these players to perform at the highest level week in, week out, but they’re knackered. It’s no coincidence that all the top players are getting injured.
"They’re not machines; they’re going to break down. People argue that this is what football is all about, and having a big squad is key.
"But people also forget that the protection of the players should be the top priority, and the level of protection is an absolute disgrace." Before the season started, Saka was in Germany for the European Championships.
With England reaching the final, Saka ended up playing until July 14. After a short break, he returned to action as a substitute in the friendly victory over Bayer Leverkusen on August 7.
