Bukayo Saka [Pedro-Soares/SPP]

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ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta must be starting to resent the sight of international breaks as he’s once again left sweating over the fitness of key players.

The Gunners return to Premier League action on Saturday evening with a trip to Bournemouth before welcoming Shakhtar Donetsk to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday in the Champions League.

With two goals and seven assists in the league already this season, the last thing Arteta wanted to see on Thursday night was Bukayo Saka hobbling out of England’s game against Greece with a muscular injury.

As it stands, it appears Saka will be fit for the weekend, but Arteta must now wrestle with whether or not the time is right to finally give his wide man the much-needed rest that he needs.

It’s a decision that became a lot tougher to make when the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed that another of Arsenal’s wingers, Gabriel Martinelli, missed their game against Peru on Wednesday because of a calf issue.

Arteta was already reeling from the first international break in September after Martin Odegaard suffered an ankle injury during Norway’s match against Austria.

The Gunners skipper is still sidelined with little signs of a definite return date. Speaking earlier this month, Arteta said: “Martin is very difficult, I expected still with the boot and a lot of things and he’s working so hard and is feeling good and is pushing it so it’s difficult to give a timeline.”

There is some positive news for the Arsenal boss. Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey withdrew from international duty last week, but it seems that was more of a precautionary measure with both players now expected to be fit to face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.