Mikel Arteta explains Bukayo Saka absence against Leeds United

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that Bukayo Saka's absence from the starting XI against Leeds United is due to illness.

The 21-year-old was surprisingly named on the bench for the clash with the Whites, marking the first time since December 2021 that he had not started a Premier League clash.

Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard form the Gunners' front three in his absence, as Jesus marks his first Premier League start since recovering from knee surgery after the World Cup.

Explaining Saka's demotion to Arsenal media before kickoff, Arteta revealed that the England international was not able to train on Friday, but he is excited to see the "chaos" that Jesus can cause upon his return.

"He wasn't able to train yesterday as he wasn't well but today he feels a little bit better so we've put Gabby in," the 41-year-old said.

"He brings a lot of energy, quality, movement and chaos. He's a player we've been missing and it's good to have him back."

Thomas Partey has recovered from an injury scare to start in the base of the midfield, though, as Arsenal put out an otherwise unchanged side from their 4-1 win over Crystal Palace two weekends ago.