Bukayo Saka's absence through injury could well put a halt to Arsenal's Premier League title hopes. That's according to punditry pair Gary Lineker and Micah Richards, who consider the England winger too essential to the Gunners' cause. Saka, 23, is due to be sidelined for more than two months following hamstring surgery, though Lineker feels it could take even longer for him to fully recover, in light of such a procedure.
The Premier League's all-time top scorer, Alan Shearer, is inclined to agree given the nature of Saka's absence. Mikel Arteta's side are currently second in the table but sit six points off leaders Liverpool (who have one game in hand), which may now be too big a gap to bridge with Saka set to miss out for an important chunk of the season.
"I remember at the start of the season we talked about key players," said Richards on The Rest Is Football podcast. "We talked about [Erling] Haaland getting injured, that could be the difference [for Manchester City], or Rodri getting injured. I just think with Arsenal now [and] Saka being injured for – some are saying a month, some are saying two months [or longer]. I think if Arsenal had a fit squad from start to finish I'd agree with Alan that it's not over yet. But losing Saka, he's too much for this team.".
