Three ways Arsenal can immediately solve Bukayo Saka injury puzzle as Mikel Arteta dealt blow

Mikel Arteta is in a race against time to find the perfect replacement for Bukayo Saka, who suffered another injury on Wednesday night

Arsenal could be without Bukayo Saka for a while, so Mikel Arteta needs to put together a contingency plan. The 25-year-old winger suffered a quad injury during the first half of the Gunners' clash against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.

Saka clutched the top of his left leg as he swept the ball across the pitch, falling to the ground in a heap. The Hale End graduate was forced to come off, making way for Eberechi Eze inside the opening 10 minutes or so.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Mikel Arteta provided an update on Saka. The Arsenal boss said: "They are a bit concerned. A player who has to come off with a really sharp pain is never good news, but we have to wait and see."

Then, in his post-match press conference, Arteta added: "It’s his quad. It was early in the game, and the level of intensity his game requires is something incredible.

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"The quality, strength and attention you need has to be at the highest level, and those things happen unfortunately. It doesn’t look good at all, but we have to wait and see."

As it stands, the severity of the injury remains unclear until Saka undergoes further tests and medical assessments. But, due to the nature of the problem, it was quite clearly a concern for his gaffer.

Madueke given

Noni Madueke will likely inherit responsibilities on the right wing for Arsenal. The 24-year-old winger, who's generally struggled to make an impression since swapping Stamford Bridge for the Emirates Stadium in a deal worth £50m, will want to prove that he's more than capable of shouldering such a great workload for a Premier League title contender.

Dowman thrown into the deep end

If Arteta would rather have Madueke provide an outlet on the left wing, Max Dowman could be given the nod. The 16-year-old midfielder has already proven that he can hold his own, from a technical point of view, at the very highest level, but the Arsenal boss may question whether he can cover as much ground or offer the same defensive qualities as his senior counterparts.

Arteta changes formation

If Arteta would rather keep his powder dry and catch David Moyes off guard, he could always trial a new formation on Saturday afternoon. The Arsenal boss could rip up the script and deploy a two-striker-narrow setup, almost like a diamond.

In doing so, the Gunners would be able to overload the middle of the park and funnel the opposition build-up down the wings, where they would face some of the best full-backs in the Premier League.

The only problem is that Everton probably wouldn't mind tackling such an approach, with great crossers of the ball in the squad and a chance magnet, Thierno Barry, ready to battle the centre-backs for every half-chance.