Bukayo Saka attends Arsenal’s north London derby against Tottenham as he recovers from hamstring injury surgery – and watches his team-mates train on crutches along with Ethan Nwaneri
There are few players more dogged than Bukayo Saka and it would have taken a small army to keep him away from Wednesday’s north London derby, despite his ongoing rehabilitation.
The Arsenal star was pictured watching his team-mates train while steadying himself on crutches ahead of their clash with Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.
Saka, typically ever-present, underwent surgery on his hamstring in December and is set to be sidelined until March.
He exchanged a hug with a member of staff and was joined by fellow treatment table star Ethan Nwaneri.
Saka has only missed nine Premier League games in the last four seasons but tore his hamstring in December’s 5-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace.
He lasted just 25 minutes at Selhurst Park before pulling up and falling to the ground and has not played since.
Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri watched their Arsenal team-mates train before facing Spurs
Saka is recovering from hamstring surgery and is expected to be back playing in March
It marked a huge blow Mikel Arteta’s side, losing the talisman who had scored nine goals and made 13 assists in all competitions this season.
But the winger had an upbeat message for fans in the wake of his setback, sharing a picture of him holding a thumb up in his hospital bed and writing: ‘The majority see obstacles, but few see the opportunities. Recovery has begun and I’m coming back stronger!
‘Thank you all for your messages.’
In Saka’s absence, 17-year-old winger Ethan Nwaneri had been given the chance to shine and was quickly growing his reputation until his injury.
Nwaneri, who had already scored three goals in the Carabao Cup this season, was handed his full Premier League debut against Brentford in December – more than two years after making his first appearance off the bench and becoming the Gunners’ youngest-ever player.
His performance against Brentford saw him rewarded with another start against Brighton, and he scored after 16 minutes against them, but he had to come off at half-time due to a muscular problem.
It has been a challenging period for Arteta to navigate due to a spate of injuries and illnesses.
Injuries to Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu have seen his defensive options seriously depleted. Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz have also had illness worries recently.
Saka, who had seldom missed a game in the last four seasons, was forced off against Crystal Palace in December
It has been a challenging period for Arsenal, with Gabriel Jesus recently confirmed as having an ACL injury
Arsenal’s stars wore shirts in tribute to sidelined man Jesus before their clash with Tottenham
To make matters worse, Arsenal confirmed on Tuesday that striker Gabriel Jesus had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee and that he requires surgery.
Jesus was forced off on a stretcher during Arsenal’s FA Cup exit to Manchester United on Sunday after a first-half collision with Bruno Fernandes. He is set to miss the rest of the season.
Arsenal’s star wore tribute shirts to Jesus ahead of the match, with his name, number nine, and the words ‘stay strong Gabby’ on the back.
Arteta suggested that Arsenal may dip into the transfer market due to their afflictions.
‘We are actively looking in the market to improve the squad. That’s been like that since day one,’ he said ahead of the Spurs clash.
