Bukayo Saka was forced off for Arsenal against Tottenham(Image: Marc Atkins)

Bukayo Saka sent major Arsenal injury warning as Mikel Arteta learns important squad decision

Bukayo Saka is one of Arsenal's most important players but Mikel Arteta must be careful with him

10 Oct 2024, 13:00 by Lee Wilmot · football.london

Bukayo Saka has been warned his career could suffer the same injury fate as that of Dele Alli if he is not careful with the amount of minutes he plays. Saka is the brightest talent Arsenal have produced for years and one of the most important players under Mikel Arteta.

However, north London rivals Tottenham will point to their own prodigious talent Dele Alli and his rise to fame. Alli was the golden boy of England before Saka came along, winning the Premier League Young Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons in 2015/16 and 2016/17.

He scored bucketloads of goals and provided a plethora of assists in that time, becoming an England regular before he turned 20. Sound familiar?

Saka's path has been extraordinarily similar, but the Arsenal man will be hoping his career does not peter out like Alli's has. The former Tottenham man, now 28, has not played since February 2023, but is working his way back to fitness behind the scenes with Everton, despite his contract expiring.

Research by OLBG shows that Saka has a day out injured for every 335 minutes played, the best record of any top-flight player in the dataset. However, predictions suggest that will drop off over time, with questions raised over his workload for Arsenal.

Overplaying young athletes can lead to increased injury risks, affecting their long-term performance and career longevity.

Alli has missed an average of 11.07 games per season with injury, spending 635 days injured, according to the research. He played a lot of games during his early career, given his importance to Spurs and England and the same can be said for Saka.

The report suggests that Saka is significantly less prone to injury than players like Alli, or even Michael Owen or Marcus Rashford, but research into sports injuries has shown that overuse and intense physical activity, particularly at a young age, increases the risk of injury and can result in long-term musculoskeletal issues. Studies indicate that repetitive strain without adequate recovery time may lead to chronic injuries and a gradual decline in performance.

Bukayo Saka has played 21,685 minutes by the age of 23, with an average of 3,595 minutes per season. His career trajectory suggests that he has already played more minutes in his first six seasons than Michael Owen and Dele Alli did - both of whom suffered from early-career burnout and injuries.

Mikel Arteta has been warned.

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