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Arsenal face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on Tuesday evening and Mikel Arteta has issued an update on the fitness of Bukayo Saka, who was unable to face Leeds last Saturday
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has shared a positive injury update on Bukayo Saka. The England international winger was named in the Gunners' starting XI at Leeds on Saturday but later withdrew due to a hip problem he picked up during the warm-up.
Arsenal's medical staff have since carried out tests on the issue to determine the extent of the potential damage.
Arteta was quizzed on Saka's condition ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea, to which he replied: "We have to wait.
"Today he was better, but we have to see how he responds and make a decision. It doesn't look like something too serious, whether he's available for tomorrow or the weekend we will see."
Saka also missed three matches at the start of the season with a hamstring issue sustained in the 5-0 demolition of Leeds in August.
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Arsenal have also been rocked by the news that Mikel Merino will be forced to undergo surgery after suffering a bone fracture in his foot.
The experienced Spaniard missed Saturday's 4-0 win at Leeds and there are now fears he could miss the remainder of the season, though there's hope he'll still be able to return before the conclusion of the campaign.
Arteta added on Merino: "He needs to go through a procedure which is never positive. He is a big player for us. It's a big blow. Yes [It's a fracture]. Let's see, it's a very rare injury. We will have to keep monitoring it."
The Gunners are exploring the transfer market in the final hours of the window for a possible solution.
However, there are no guarantees they move to sign anyone and are largely expected to persist with what they have.
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