Inside Bukayo Saka’s return to Arsenal and how Mikel Arteta used him as a secret weapon while injured

It took one picture of Bukayo Saka to send the Arsenal fanbase into a frenzy.

It came last week, showing Saka smiling on the London Colney training pitches, accompanied by the caption ‘Hello again’.

Over half a million likes on Instagram later, it is a small reflection of how important the winger is to an Arsenal team who have two more months to salvage their season.

‘Bukayo is ready to go,’ said an enthused Mikel Arteta yesterday.

Could he start against Fulham on Tuesday? ‘Yeah.’

Arteta added: ‘It’s another massive weapon that we have with him. We know the impact 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.’

Behind the scenes, the return of Saka after four months away has delighted the club. You can see and feel as much at the London Colney base.

Owing to the severity of the hamstring injury he suffered at Selhurst Park in December, an early April return was the most ideal scenario for the Gunners; any sooner would have been a risk to the player’s body.

Saka’s Instagram post last Friday was not his first full training session with the team, having undergone a series of sessions earlier in the month. But now he is fully back.

Achieving this is testament to a successful surgery, good fortune and a tailored programme which has slowly accelerated the England man back to match fitness.

The 23-year-old’s injury coincided with a severe slump which haemorrhaged Arsenal’s league title hopes. When they won 5-1 at Crystal Palace on the day he was injured, they sat three points behind leaders Liverpool.

Now, they trail by 12 points, and were knocked out of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in the period Saka was missing. There has been only one league defeat, at home to West Ham, but damaging draws against Brighton, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest and Manchester United have put paid to any title hopes. 

It all started at Selhurst Park on December 21, Saka having left the ground on crutches and spent the next few days at home with limited mobility. He underwent surgery on December 29 to begin the long road back to playing football, then estimated to be 12 weeks.

Saka went on holiday abroad in late January after much encouragement by Arteta to go away and recuperate. He had then briefly returned to light fitness work, soon ramping up that off-the-pitch work in a team environment having joined Arsenal’s flight to Dubai on February 6 for a mid-season warm weather camp.

It was here he was pictured on a training bike, giving the public an indication that his return would not be far away, along with the long scar on the back of his right leg.

Aside from his recovery progression, Saka’s involvement with the team has been a focus, too. Despite just being 23, the winger has a strong influence, an aspect Arteta wanted to retain.

Mail Sport understands that he has attended every home match since Arsenal’s FA Cup third round defeat to Manchester United on January 12, as well as the women’s team’s 5-0 victory over rivals Tottenham on February 16.

He has been in the Emirates home changing room before and after kick-off, and has sat in the stands with family during the matches. Arteta has also ensured to have him present in team meetings throughout.

Those close to the winger say the time away from the pitch has given him a renewed hunger and realisation of just how much he loves his job. This period of reflection has been a rarity for a player who has played week in, week out for the past four seasons.

His return comes at a crucial time. Arsenal scraped through a period without Saka, Havertz, Martinelli and others in the front line, but the Mikel Merino experiment up front was surprisingly effective at time, but not enough for what is about to come. 

A two-legged quarter-final tie against Real Madrid is the seismic obstacle in Europe, but the league cannot be overlooked, either.

All of Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle are desperate for a Champions League place; any sustained slip-up from between now and May 25 and the 11 points separating second and sixth spots could become rather slim.

The winger’s combination of 22 goals and assists in 24 appearances across all competitions is still the most of any Arsenal player this season, despite missing half of it. Kai Havertz (19), who is out for the season with a hamstring injury, ranks second.

His return also allows Arsenal’s breakout star Ethan Nwaneri to return to his favoured position of attacking midfield, and Gabriel Martinelli to the left wing, both having deputised for Saka on the right. Leandro Trossard would also then be able to offer a more conventional centre forward option to the Merino sticking plaster. 

So, for now, there is a buoyancy around Arsenal because of Saka’s return. Though caution must be adhered to, as well.

Burnout could well creep around the corner if his minutes are not carefully managed.

At a young age he has already made 186 league appearances for the Gunners, along with 43 England caps. As seen by the impact his absence has had on the Arsenal team, Saka is undroppable.

Therein lies a potential problem of burnout. It’s a matter that has been prominent for some time now, even before this most recent injury.

When fit this season, Saka has started every match bar two Carabao Cup games, away to Preston (when he came on after 62 minutes) and at home to Palace (a 70th-minute substitute).

The appearance at Preston was despite the winger having started three days previously in a crunch league clash against Liverpool, which finished 2-2. Three days after the League Cup victory, he started in a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park.

In the Carabao Cup third round 5-1 victory over Bolton, Saka started in a team featuring four academy players — including 16-year-old Jack Porter in goal.

He has arguably been overplayed. At present, the impact of this can’t be seen in terms of performance.

But in years to come, with the increasing workload on players in this modern age, the winger could well be burnt out by the age of 30 if his workload isn’t managed more carefully.

For now, though, Saka is raring to go.