Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says losing Bukayo Saka to injury will make him a better manager.

The England winger faces “several weeks” after tearing his hamstring in Arsenal’s 5-1 demolition of Crystal Palace last weekend.

Saka’s injury comes a month after captain Martin Odegaard returned from 12 matches with an ankle problem.

Saka’s natural replacement, Raheem Sterling, will also be out for some time after suffering a knee injury in training.

💬 “If you don’t take chances, or if you don’t want to take risks, you limit yourself.”

Bukayo talks about his football philosophy, the sacrifices he made to become a star 👇

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 25, 2024

But when asked if his latest managerial test will turn him into a better coach, Arteta said: “I think so, yes. We started the season with one of the thinnest teams in the Premier League and we knew it.

“If we have the thinnest squad, what do we need? We’ve really dug in to make sure we use each player to their best potential and everyone should feel a part of it.

“You need to reinvent players in different positions and in different relationships. It’s really good exercise and the boys are willing to do whatever we want them to do, so that’s a really good thing too.”

The pressure on players is under the microscope, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri one of the big names to be out injured this year for the rest of the season.

“It (the fixture list) is unsustainable until we find ways to physically turn players into monsters who can face anything,” Arteta added.

“The fact that you train and recover is not a good pattern because the body needs to train, the muscle needs to train. If you just play and recover, you start to lose a lot of factors in your body that are key to physical performance.

“Not just to play not to get injured, but to become a better athlete, which is very different, and to keep developing as an athlete.

“I hope the players are being listened to but whoever is in charge, can they actually do something now with the commitments already established over the next three or four seasons? It is very challenging and very difficult.”