Mikel Arteta says Bukayo Saka is “constantly looking for solutions” as he works his way back from an Achilles problem that has kept him out since last month’s Carabao Cup final.
After a quiet 90 minutes at Wembley, the winger joined up with England but was sent home by Thomas Tuchel, who accepted he was not fully fit. While some suspected it was a case of Arsenal protecting a key player ahead of the run-in, the 24-year-old has since missed three matches, two of which the Gunners have lost.
[Facing the media ahead of tonight’s Champions League quarter-final](https://youtu.be/8i5Y0raFaeg?si=wqO4q_8Dx7NcCImy) against Sporting Lisbon, and with a potentially decisive trip to Manchester City looming on Sunday, it didn’t sound like Saka was on the verge of an imminent return.
“It’s been a few weeks, obviously, and he hasn’t been able to train much, so it’s not only having him available but in which condition,” said the manager.
“We want him on the pitch as quick as we can. The moment that he can tolerate the load and the pain that he has, he will be available, and then we’ll have to wait and see how much he can contribute.
“It’s very far from ideal,” said the manager about the club’s overall injury situation.
“We mentioned that when you come to this stage, you need your best players in the best moment, and everybody available, and it’s not the case.
“We’ve been through so much during the season with a lot of situations that we have overcome, and that’s the spirit of the team. We don’t have that \[all the players\], but we have many other tools to achieve what we want, and we’re going to give it a go.”
Saka had been a near ever-present before suffering a hamstring tear in December 2024 that required surgery and a three-month lay-off. He returned towards the end of last season, but this campaign has been disrupted again, with 10 matchday squads missed so far. Nine goals and seven assists in 42 appearances is a respectable return, but his absence in recent weeks has been felt by a side that has struggled for creativity in the final third.
“He’s a person that gets frustrated, but he does everything that he can to change that,” added Arteta.
“He doesn’t lie there waiting for things. He’s constantly looking for solutions, for ways, for treatments, for things that he can do to give himself the best chance to be available as quickly as possible.
“When it comes to this stage of the competition, with the amount of games that they’ve played in the last few years, they have niggles.
“We really need to look after him. He does look after himself really well, and I’m sure we’ll manage that in the right way.”
As Arteta pointed out, injuries have been a recurring issue throughout the season. Martin Odegaard has struggled for rhythm with knee, shoulder and muscle problems, Kai Havertz spent months out following knee surgery, and Mikel Merino is still working his way back from a fractured foot.
Others, including Noni Madueke and Gabriel Magalhaes, missed spells earlier in the campaign, while Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori have all had time on the sidelines.
Arsenal are limping towards the finish line in more ways than one.