Bukayo Saka will make his long-awaited return for Arsenal on Tuesday night and it could be with a start against Fulham, as Mikel Arteta insists that he’s ‘ready to go’
Bukayo Saka can be Arsenal’s deadly “weapon” to gun down opponents for the rest of the season. Mikel Arteta has given Saka the green light to start against Fulham on Tuesday night but also believes he can have a huge impact against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Arsenal face the Spanish giants over a two-legged quarter final from next week with Arteta insisting that Saka is “ready to go” after his three-month injury lay-off. Gunners boss Arteta said: “It’s another massive weapon that we have with him. 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, obviously.
“Now it’s about putting him in the grass in the right moments. But he’s pushing because he really wants it. We have respected the time frame, we have done everything and we have to hold him back even. So he’s ready to go.
“There is no a single player in that squad that has produced the numbers of Bukayo in the last three seasons. That’s it. So that’s him. We have remained very, very competitive without him and without many other players. That’s a big credit. And how strong the team is as a ‘we’, even though some very important individuals are missing.”
But Saka is Arsenal’s main man and a huge player for England. The winger underwent surgery on a torn hamstring in December which is an operation becoming increasingly frequent among quick and explosive players. It also highlights the demands on players like Saka because he is a must-pick for Arsenal and is guaranteed a huge reception on his return at the Emirates.
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Arteta is clearly concerned about his players but also said it was effectively a no-brainer for Saka to undergo surgery to ensure there was no lasting damage or scar tissue from the tear. There has long been fears that surgery may stop players being as quick but Arteta says the surgery will not inhibit him and the specialists recommended it.
Arteta added: “Unfortunately that’s true, it’s becoming more recurrent which tells you that there is something that is changing and we are obviously analysing that data which is still quite small. Then you have to analyse the risk and reward element on surgery and we believe that a player who is so explosive who makes so many actions at high speed, a lot of details.
“We were not sure in that area whether the tendon can support the load, it was an easy decision to say, ‘Okay, what is the opinion of the specialist?’ It was 100 per cent that one so on that case even if it’s going to take a little longer then we had to go down that route.
Should Bukayo Saka start for Arsenal against Fulham? Give us your predicted XI in the comments section.
“Sometimes these things happen and they happen to the best players and it doesnt mean it has to happen again. He needs to be fully aware that obviously everything is increasing: the level, the speed, the time you have to execute is shorter.
“You want to do things slower? Forget about it, you wont be efficient. So, you probably have to be faster, sharper, at the maximum speed and you have to train and prepare for that.”
Arsenal face a Fulham team who have been a bogey side recently. They lost at Craven Cottage last season, drew earlier this season and dropped points at the Emirates in recent times. But Arteta, who will be without injured Riccardo Calafiori but has Jurrien Timber fit, insists that Arsenal will not give up on catching Liverpool despite the gap at the top.
Arteta added: “I appreciate the question. Hopefully we are not going to get there. If we get there one day, we can discuss about that. Now the focus is about just winning against Fulham. The targeted position is one. After that…”
Predicted Arsenal XI vs Fulham: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Partey, Odegaard; Martinelli, Merino, Trossard
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