Bukayo Saka is back ready and raring to go as Arsenal aim for UEFA Champions League glory and to put pressure on Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
Saka, 23, suffered a hamstring injury in December that required surgery and has been missing for three months at a pivotal time of the season.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s home game against Fulham on Tuesday, Mikel Arteta revealed that Saka is ready to return.
Bukayo Saka update on return from injury
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“Bukayo is ready to go. All the careful things he’s already done, so now it’s about putting him on the grass in the right moments,” Saka said. “He’s pushing because he really wants it. We have respect the timeframe, but we have done everything and we have had to hold him back even, so he’s ready to go. It’s another massive weapon that we have. We know the impact that he’s had on the team and how important his role and his contribution is to our success, so great to have him back.”
Asked if Saka can start against Fulham, after missing Arsenal’s last 19 games, Arteta didn’t rule it out.
“It’s more the energy that he transmits, that he’s missed the thing that he loves the most in his life, which is to be around the team, to play, to train, and to compete at the highest level. The fact that he’s able to come in the most important part of the season is a massive boost for him and the team as well,” Saka said.
“He hasn’t played for three months, but has played for the last 48 months. So three in 48 is a very small percentage. I haven’t done the housekeeping duties for a week, but I’ve done it for 10 years, so I know what to do, I know how to sustain it, and I’m clever enough to maintain that. The habit is certainly there, so don’t think about that.”
How big is this for Arsenal?
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It’s huge. Absolutely massive. Saka would make any team in the world better and Arsenal have really missed his creative spark and unpredictability in attack.
Now he’s back for their crucial Champions League quarterfinals against Real Madrid and if Liverpool stumble a couple of times, Saka being back for Arsenal gives them a much better chance of closing the gap atop the table late in the season.
The fact he know has teenager Ethan Nwaneri clearly ready and available to take some minutes off him to ease his workload is a huge bonus too. Saka can rip it up for 65 minutes and Nwaneri can come on to close games.
That is the way Arteta and Arsenal will look to use Saka from here on out and even though he’s been out for several months after the first big injury of his young career, it’s likely he will slot straight back in and not miss a beat.