Bukayo Saka injury scare confirmed by Mikel Arteta as Arsenal count cost of hectic winter schedule

Arteta started with Saka on the bench for their 0-0 draw against Nottingham Forest but turned to the forward just after the hour mark. The Arsenal manager also threw on Gabriel Jesus, Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino in the second half of the match but his team could not find a way past Matz Sels in the Nottingham Forest goal.

The draw means Arsenal failed to fully capitalise on Manchester City's defeat to United earlier in the day and could even see their lead at the top of the table cut to four points if Aston Villa beat Everton at Villa Park on Sunday.

Arteta admitted his team had created enough chances to win, telling reporters: "We came here to win the game, that's clear, and we needed the opportunities that we had. We haven't managed that, so the word is disappointment. We haven't conceded anything, any single shot again and generated four massive chances with Martinelli with an open goal, with Declan Rice, Merino and then Bukayo Saka's header with an unbelievable save, and on top of that, a very clear penalty as well that has not been given.

"So after that, it’s pretty difficult for us because it's a team that is very well organised and very difficult to generate a lot of momentum throughout the game, so it's disappointing. You need [to take chances], especially to open them up, especially the way that they played. We tried in many ways, we made changes, we tried to have more people in the last line, to have very creative players in and around the box. When you get into those moments, you have to make it happen if you want to win and we didn’t manage to get it done."

Arteta also spoke about Saka and his decision to start him on the bench after the draw. He said: "Bukayo had a lot of minutes and he had a niggle before the game so we need to manage our players. We have some fantastic players that can provide different things and we did try it from the beginning, we tried after half-time as well, taking more risks and bringing in even more players in those attacking options. We tried in every way and it wasn't enough unfortunately."

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Saka had one of the clearest chances of the game at the City Ground. He looked to have opened the scoring with a header that was brilliantly saved by Sels. Former Arsenal star Ray Parlour felt it was a crucial moment in the game. He told Premier League Productions: "It’s a real fingertip save, a really big save. If that goes in, suddenly it could be a 2-0, 3-0 game. It gives everyone a lift. You need your goalkeeper to make saves like that if you’re going to stay in the league."

Arsenal have suffering with injuries to key players this season with the likes of Cristhian Mosquera, Max Dowman, Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie still currently sidelined. Arteta will also have to manage the workload of his players as the Gunners continue through a hectic run of fixtures. The Gunners still have Champions League games against Inter and Kairat to play in January as well as Premier League fixtures against Manchester United and Leeds. Arteta's side then kick-off February with the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea, with the Gunners leading 3-2 from the first leg at Stamford Bridge.