Bukayo Saka injury: Progress and potential return date | OneFootball

Arsenal have struggled to get their two most creative influences - Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard - on the pitch at the same time this season.

The talismanic duo have featured alongside one another in just 14 of the Gunners' 31 matches in all competitions, with Arsenal losing just once while the pair have shared the turf. However, they are unlikely to be rubbing shoulders at the Emirates Stadium any time soon.

A long-term injury to Odegaard earlier this season has been followed by a lengthy spell on the sidelines for Saka, with Arsenal having suffered without the latter since he entered the treatment room before Christmas.

Arsenal need their star boy back as quickly as humanly possible, so what's the latest regarding Saka's injury?

What injury does Bukayo Saka have?

Bukayo Saka was forced to undergo surgery / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

Arsenal were correct in fearing the worst when Saka hit the deck and subsequently hobbled off during the 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace on 21 December. The winger lasted just 24 minutes before being withdrawn due to a hamstring issue, immediately heading for scans to determine the severity of the issue.

Saka has proven himself to be remarkably durable during recent campaigns, especially given the rough treatment he so often receives from opposition defenders. This is certainly the most devastating and lengthy injury of his career to date.

When will Bukayo Saka return from injury?

Bukayo Saka won't return until February at the earliest / Vince Mignott/MB Media/GettyImages

Saka underwent surgery on his hamstring injury shortly after the trip to Selhurst Park but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has admitted that the forward will be sidelined for at least two months as he recovers.

Speaking back in December, the Spaniard revealed: "He has had a procedure and everything went well, but unfortunately he will be out for many, many weeks.

"It will be more than two months. I don't know exactly how much longer. It will depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal, the first week or so, and the mobility of that. It is very difficult to say."

Saka has recently been spotted at the Arsenal training ground but he remains some way off making his comeback. Late February is the earliest we could see the 23-year-old back on the pitch, with a March return date looking most likely at present.

Commenting on Saka's recovery, Arteta recently said: "He’s been around a lot. It’s great to have him. There’s always a smile on his face. He’s going through a period that is unknown for him because he has never been injured for such a long time.

"We have discussed the things we can do together and the things he can do to use the time in the right way to make him a better person, to make sure that he spends the time adequately with the opportunity that he has, so that when he comes back he is in the right place."

Which Arsenal games will Bukayo Saka miss through injury?

Saka will miss the second north London derby of the season / Visionhaus/GettyImages

Arsenal's No.7 has already missed five games since injuring his hamstring and is likely to miss another ten at least should he not return until March. In that time period, he will be absent for a number of pivotal clashes across three different competitions.

In the Premier League, he will miss the second north London derby of the season, as well as duels with reigning champions Manchester City and high-flying Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. By the time he returns, the title race could be all but over with Liverpool in a commanding position.

Saka will also watch from the sidelines as Arsenal close out their Champions League league phase campaign. Matches with Dinamo Zagreb and Girona will pass him by as the Gunners seek automatic qualification to the last 16, while the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Newcastle United will also be contested without the winger.

Who could replace Bukayo Saka in the Arsenal team?

Mikel Arteta is struggling for creativity / GLYN KIRK/GettyImages

Arsenal have been alarmingly toothless in recent outings and that creativity vacuum has seen them stumble at the beginning of the new year. With Gabriel Jesus having also sustained a nasty injury during last weekend's FA Cup defeat to Manchester United that could see him miss the rest of the season, the Gunners may have to remedy their attacking issues in the January transfer window.

At present, Arsenal's four senior forwards are Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and on-loan Raheem Sterling, none of whom are in particularly eye-catching form. Splashing the cash this winter may be essential.

Arsenal have been linked with Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo and the Cameroon international, who has scored 13 times in the Premier League this term, could be a perfect, if expensive, alternative to Saka.

Nico Williams has long been admired but the Athletic Club winger favours playing on the left-hand side, while the Gunners missed the chance to sign long-term target Pedro Neto over the summer as Chelsea swooped in to swiftly complete a deal.