Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says Bukayo Saka will only return to training “after the international break”.

The winger has already spent two weeks on the sidelines with a quad injury, and when asked if he could make his comeback soon, Arteta replied:

“No, we will talk about weeks; let’s see after the international break, he will start hitting the pitch and more activity. But unfortunately, he will be out for a while.”

Arsenal face Newcastle United in the first match after the two-week pause for international fixtures, but Saka may still need longer to fully recover from his injury.

Saka could be out until early December

In the days after the England international was taken off against Bayern Munich, it was reported that his layoff could extend to around six weeks.

Arteta’s remarks do not necessarily contradict that estimate, and there is a chance that Saka won’t feature before the game against Brentford on December 2nd.

That could mean he misses another four games in total, including Hull City this weekend, Newcastle, the Champions League fixture against Borussia Dortmund, as well as the key clash versus Manchester City.

Other Arsenal injury news

Arteta has confirmed that Ezri Konsa is back in training, after being taken off as a precaution against Slavia Prague midweek due to a knee problem.

There are no other injuries in the first-team squad. William Saliba returned to the substitutes’ bench on Wednesday night, having recovered from the back issue that has kept him sidelined since July.

The centre-back could start against Hull this weekend, although the news that Konsa will be available may end up delaying his comeback until later this month. He has been called up by France boss Zinedine Zidane, though, and Arteta has hinted that he will get “minutes” playing for his country over the next few weeks.