Arsenal: Mikel Arteta delivers Bukayo Saka injury update as Takehiro Tomiyasu issue confirmed
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is hopeful Bukayo Saka is fine after hobbling off in Wednesday's 2-0 Champions League win over Sevilla and says the winger will have to get used to rough treatment from defenders.
Saka was forced off late on after appearing to land awkwardly, having set up Leandro Trossard's opening goal and scored Arsenal's second in a decisive display.
The winger was fouled no fewer than four times in the opening 17 minutes but repeatedly looked to take on the Sevilla players.
"There's contact in football and obviously for the wingers who want to take people on this is going to happen. At the end he wasn't comfortable to carry on, hopefully it's not too much but I'm really pleased with his performance," Arteta said.
"It was just a kick and I was told by the physios on the radio he wasn't happy to continue. So he will have some discomfort but hopefully I am going to assume he will be OK.
"I think he's getting used to [rough treatment]! I don't think that's going to change, especially with the way he plays and the way he attracts players so he better get used to it because I don't think it's going to change."
A comfortable 2-0 win left Arsenal in command of Group B and they will qualify for the last-16 with a point at home to Lens at the end of the month, and top the group with a game to spare if they beat the French side.
Arsenal were without captain Martin Odegaard and Eddie Nketiah against the Europa League winners, while Takehiro Tomiyasu was replaced at half-time after feeling discomfort.
"They are racing against the clock to be fit," Arteta said of Odegaard and Nketiah. "They tried their best to be here today with us, it wasn't possible and we have another 48 hours before we play Burnley. We'll try again and see because we need players at the moment."
On Tomiyasu, he added: "He had some discomfort in the first half and we didn’t want to take any risks because he’s played a lot of minutes. Obviously with Alex [Oleksandr Zinchenko] on the bench ready to come in I think it was the right decision."