Mikel Arteta is ready to unleash “massive weapon” Bukayo Saka on the Premier League again, with the Arsenal winger set to make his long-awaited comeback against Fulham on Tuesday.
Saka has not played since suffering a hamstring tear against Crystal Palace in December but is now “ready to go” after completing his recovery from surgery.
The 23-year-old could even start against Fulham as Arsenal look to keep alive their slim hopes of catching league leaders Liverpool. Victory at the Emirates Stadium would reduce the gap between the two sides to nine points.
Arteta said Arsenal have had to “hold Saka back” in recent weeks as the winger has pushed to make his return to competitive action.
“Bukayo is ready to go,” said Arteta. “The careful thing is already done. Now it’s about putting him on the grass, in the right moments. But he is pushing because he really wants it. We have respected the time frame, we have done everything and we have had to hold him back even.
“It’s another massive weapon that we have with him. We know the impact that he has had on the team and how important his role and his contribution is to our success. So it is great to have him back, obviously.
“It’s the energy he transmits, that he has missed the thing 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. And the fact he is able to come in at the most important part of the season obviously is a massive boost for him, and to the team as well.”
Arteta added that Saka is “clever enough” to hit the ground running and immediately rediscover his usual form, especially with the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid looming next week.
The Arsenal manager has told the winger to not even contemplate the possibility of rustiness after so long without a competitive game.
“Yeah, get that out of your head,” Arteta said. “You [Saka] haven’t played for three months but you’ve played for the last 48 months, so three in 48 is a very small percentage.
“I haven’t done maybe 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.”
