Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that injured winger Bukayo Saka will not be able to link up with the England squad for October's internationals.
The 22-year-old has been in the wars during the early stages of the campaign, limping off with knocks against Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth in successive Premier League games.
Saka's niggles led to calls for the attacker to be given a proper rest, but those pleas fell on deaf ears, as Arteta selected the Hale End graduate from the start in Tuesday's Champions League clash against Lens.
However, Arteta's decision backfired, as the Englishman had to be withdrawn due to a hamstring problem inside the first half as Arsenal lost their unbeaten record for the season in a 2-1 defeat.
While even the most minor of hamstring problems can often take a couple of weeks to heal, Arteta told the media that Saka would be "in contention" for Sunday's Premier League showdown with Manchester City at the Emirates.
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The 22-year-old had been included in Gareth Southgate's latest England selection last week and was seen arriving with his clubmates on Sunday, but he was ultimately left out of the matchday squad.
Despite the absence of the five-goal and five-assist winger, Arsenal managed to snap their 12-game Premier League losing run against the champions thanks to a deflected effort from Gabriel Martinelli, who returned from his own hamstring problem ahead of schedule.
An official decision has not yet been made on Saka's international participation, but Arteta has categorically ruled his attacker out of the Three Lions' meetings with Australia and Italy.
"No, he could not make it. He has not had a single training session, so he will be out. He's not available to play football at the moment," Arteta told the media when asked if Saka would turn out for the Three Lions.
Neither Arteta nor Southgate have disclosed the severity of Saka's injury, but the latter insisted last week that he would not risk any long-term damage to the Arsenal man, saying: "We've got that responsibility of qualifying for the country, but I've been a player.
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"I've never ever taken a risk on a player's physical wellbeing, and nor would I. They [Premier League clubs] have trust in us that we make decisions that are right for the long term whenever we can."
Following Arteta's admission, official confirmation of Saka's withdrawal from the England squad will likely arrive at some point this week, as he joins the likes of Luke Shaw, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Eberechi Eze and Callum Wilson on the injured list.
It remains to be seen if Southgate calls up a replacement for Saka after the England boss once again overlooked Chelsea attacker Raheem Sterling, who responded to that snub by playing a part in three of the Blues' four goals in their 4-1 thrashing of Burnley on Saturday.
The Three Lions return to action with a friendly against Australia at Wembley on Friday, four days before hosting Italy in a Euro 2024 qualifying game at the same venue, where the Azzurri defeated Southgate's men on penalties in the Euro 2020 showpiece.
Meanwhile, Arsenal sit level on points with league leaders Tottenham Hotspur thanks to their first league win over Man City since 2015 and meet London rivals Chelsea away from home on October 21 following the international hiatus.
Ben Knapton
